Soul Searching
by Ana the Romantic
Summary: It seems like it's always another day, another adventure for the bureau. Now that Haru has become a member and joining the adventures she and Baron only grow closer. But what happens when a new kingdom comes into play? Not to mention a new princess? H/B
1. Prologue

**A/N**: New story, new fandom. I just recently finished this one. It's a bit shorter than others that I've done, but still a good story line. I watched this movie and got obsessed instantly. If I was Haru I think I would definately have more than a crush on our dear Baron. So here is my own continuation to the Cat Returns. Hope you all enjoy! And as always, happy reading.

**Soul Searching**

Her feet seemed to glide along the floor without friction. The gold slippers on her feet made of silk felt like clouds and her dress made of an even finer yellow material flowed from her waist as she turned. One white gloved hand held on to hers as another fit perfectly along her hip. Her other hand held a gentleman's shoulder covered with a dark material and her eyes locked with his. They were so green and intelligent that she found herself lost in them, as she had found herself every night she dreamed of their dance. The ball room was still as elaborate as she remembered, but there were no cats around them this time. The room echoed of only the soft music from an invisible accordion and the foot falls of her and her hero as they twirled and dipped along the marble floor.

"Haru…" his voice called to her and she smiled at him before the whole picture began to ripple around her.

* * *

"Haru!" Hiromi yelled at her best friend as she waved a hand in front of her face, "Are you still with me here?"

"Sorry Hiromi," Haru chuckled and blinked a few times to make the rest of her day dream disappear. She drifted back to reality and ran her hand over the large cat on her lap before scratching by his brown ear to earn a long purr, "Just another one of my escapes."

"You've been doing that more and more lately," Hiromi reminded her and took a sip of the fruit smoothie that she had in her hands. She also looked down at her friend's sketch book which had a figure drawing of a couple on what looked like a dance floor.

"Can't help it," Haru shrugged, "I don't really have anything better to do."

"Oh like, I don't know, going to school with your best friend?" Hiromi pointed at herself, "When are you going to go to college?"

"When I figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life," Haru frowned and patted Muta who yawned up at her. She took a piece of large chicken from her lunch and held it out to Muta who seemed to swallow it whole. She giggled a little, "I'm okay helping my mother with her quilts and my paintings until I figure it out. Besides, I'm only eighteen, I have time."

Hiromi paused for a moment and looked at the fat cat on Haru's lap, "How can you support that cat's weight on your lap?"

Muta shot the other girl a glare and repositioned himself on Haru, almost making himself slip off her lap completely.

"He's not as heavy as he looks," Haru held her hand over the edge of her leg so that Muta didn't fall completely off and scratch her on the way down. He settled again and closed his eyes lazily.

"Whose cat is he anyway?"

"He's his own cat," Haru said happily, "Besides, he's just a big softy."

"Right…" Hiromi rolled her eyes.

"How are you and Tsuge doing?" Haru opted for another path of discussion and change of topic.

"He just seems so busy with his scholarships and all. He doesn't even have all that time for me anymore," Hiromi looked down sadly, "It feels like I'm losing him."

"Don't worry about it," Haru put a hand over her friends, "Just believe in yourself and no matter what you will be ok. If it doesn't work out, it wasn't a fault of yours. Maybe he just isn't the one for you."

"Maybe," Hiromi shrugged, "We have a date tonight. Maybe we can battle out our differences then."

"Sure," Haru nodded with a smile.

Hiromi reached the bottom of her smoothie. She looked at Haru's cup, "Are you going to finish your smoothie?"

"No, I don't really like the flavor," Haru squinted at her cup and pushed it toward Hiromi.

"You got the same that I did, didn't you?" she took a sip and nodded in appreciation, "Yup, mulberry."

"I don't see why you like that so much," Haru stated and heard a loud purr from Muta on her lap. He agreed with her. And he seemed to enjoy the statement the most since that seemed to be Toto's favorite berry as well. Haru looked down at her watch and her eyes bulged a little, "Oh crud, we're late!"

The large cat heard her exclamation and jumped up from her lap before she tossed him off.

"_We're_ late? Who's we?" Hiromi wondered out loud as she saw her friend throw her stuff together, "Now where are you heading in such a hurry? I thought you had nothing better to do."

"I just got to go!" Haru tugged on her jacket over her light blouse and dark blue jeans, and saw Muta begin to walk away out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't going to worry; she knew how to get to the bureau without his help.

"You know I find it funny that you aren't going to school, you don't have a job other than what you do with your mom, but you always have appointments to attend to- most of the time when you are out with me at the Crossroads," Hiromi stated as she calmly put her things in her bag and handed Haru a pencil that had rolled to her side of the table as she spun it lightly in a tight circle at her friend, "Any boyfriends that you are keeping a secret from me?"

"Boyfriends," Haru rolled her eyes, put her small back pack over her shoulder and leaned on the table toward Hiromi. She grabbed the pencil and smirked at her friend, "See you later, Hiromi."

Haru ran off in the same direction that Muta had and waved back at her friend.

"Haru!" Hiromi yelled at her friend and frowned before she picked up her stuff and got ready for her date with Tsuge that night. As she began to walk away she turned toward the direction her best friend ran off in and talked to herself, "One year she's been like this. She would have told me if it was a guy by now, right?"

* * *

Haru secured the bag on her back and turned down an alleyway and made sure that no one was following her. Muta may not be all that worried about being followed, being a cat, but curiosity is peeked when an eighteen year old girl makes some mysterious turns down alleyways and over low roofs. The last thing she needed was people finding out about the sanctuary and the bureau. Too many inquisitive minds would have Baron and Toto dissected in seconds for them being creations.

Her short hair bobbed behind her and she swiped her messy bangs out of her eyes as she made the first hop up onto a wall and into the urban labyrinth. She's done it hundreds of times in the last year and it has become almost ingrained in her muscle memory. She had started to fill out into a more mature body than what she had almost a year ago. A narrower waist and a little wider at the hips, she was becoming the envy of Hiromi and has caught a few young men's attentions- including that of her old crush Machida- who, like a year ago, just didn't matter anymore.

She had to keep fit and in shape if she was going to keep up in the work she was doing. Not the quilting or painting, of course, but helping the team at the bureau. True she was talented and probably could make a great career in what ever she put her mind to, but she didn't want to really do anything other than to help at the bureau and 'stick her nose in other people's problems' as Muta put it so often.

As she popped her head around the corner that led to the sanctuary, she checked once again for anyone that may have followed her and happily walked to the archway. She felt a small shift in the air around her as she passed through the archway into the sanctuary and had to giggle to herself.

After the first three months of coming and going through the archway, the magic of the sanctuary deemed it fit to have her shrink when she entered under the arch way. Suffice to say it nearly scared her half to death when it seemed that Muta once again was towering over her. For the first few moments she thought she was in the Cat Kingdom again until Baron put a hand on her shoulder and reassured her she was still at the sanctuary. After a good hour long search through books on magic and a walk under the arch way the opposite direction, they found it was reversible and Haru was happy for the surprise. Getting in and out of the bureau doors became much easier.

Haru walked just past Toto's pole in the courtyard and spotted Muta in his chair with a new newspaper over his stomach. She giggled to herself once again and looked over his arm to his side, "Any good news today, Muta?"

"Not anything exciting, no," he sighed and shifted his eyes toward her, "Thanks for the chicken, Chicky. I was starting to feel under rated in the conversation. Your friend needs to learn how to talk to cats."

"When Hiromi opens her mind and learns how to talk with cats will be the same day that pigs fly," Haru stretched her arms over her head and looked back at the bureau doors, "Baron not awake yet?"

"Not that I've seen. He should set a time for our meetings at a time that he is actually awake," Muta grumbled and then looked up from his paper just slightly, "You can check yourself through the window. You don't have to ask me, you know?"

"I find looking through a window kind of invading, don't you?" she asked and saw him raise his eye line in question. She sighed, "I mean, wouldn't you find it kind of weird if someone could look through the window and watch you as you sleep?"

"Although I appreciate your consideration, Haru, if I thought that it would invade my privacy, I wouldn't 'sleep' in a window."

Haru smiled to herself and turned around to find Baron standing in his doorway with cane over one arm and his top hat firmly over his ears.

"Afternoon, Baron," she smiled.

"Good afternoon," he swept his top hat off of his head and bowed deeply to her, always the gentleman- er, gentlecat.

"What no light show this time?" Muta muttered and refolded his paper to another section to read, "You show off."

"You very well know that I do that only for first time guests and Haru is more like a member of the bureau," Baron turned his head from Muta and smiled agian at Haru, "Isn't that right?"

"I would hope so," she giggled and shrugged her bag over one shoulder, "I have some more drawings to show you if you have time, Baron. I need some outside opinion on what I should put to canvas next."

"Of course," he bowed his head and held out an arm for her to take. She looked up at the pedestal in the middle of the courtyard and titled her head a little in confusion. She walked by Toto's perch and didn't even take notice that he wasn't there. Toto usually didn't like to take flight in the middle of the day.

"He found that his favorite patch of mulberries is being uprooted in the next couple of days," Baron answered her unasked question about their feathered friend, "He wanted to get as many of the berries as he could to a safe place before it happened. He will be sleeping all night for it, but he deemed it worth it."

"I would think so," Haru nodded and let Baron guide her into the bureau. She saw him turn toward her and gestured for her coat. She turned around and let him take her coat and bag after she pulled her sketch book out from it, "Thank you."

"Take a seat and make yourself at home," he hung up her jacket and then began to take off his own along with his hat. His cane was hung on the lowest rung and he turned toward the cupboard for his tea, "Milk in your tea?"

"Always," she nodded and flipped a few pages until she uncovered a few of her newer ideas. She found a few pages that were reminders of the Cat Kingdom adventure, even though it was a year prior. It helped her discover who she was and she will never forget it, or the cats that helped her there.

Baron handed her a cup and saucer and she smiled at the scent of it, "How is the tea today?"

"I have no idea, it is my first batch of the day," he explained and took a seat in his favorite chair that was closer to the couch that she sat on than it was when she first met him.

She took a hesitant sip and tilted her head to the side as if trying to figure out what the unique taste was. Baron looked at her to wait for her response.

"It's a little on the bitter side this time around, but the milk covers the flavor well," she said with a nod and he took a sip of his own.

He looked down at her book and saw the layout of the sketch she had the book open to, "You captured the scenery perfectly."

"I wouldn't say that," she shook her head, "The towers are a little off."

"Everything is a little off in that kingdom," Muta said as he now looked over her shoulder at the sketch on the table. There was a large sketch of the cat kingdom and the castle on the horizon, the portal to the human world streaming light down on the top of the tall towers. Muta rounded the couch and sat down next to Haru.

Baron took the sketchbook in his hands and began to thumb through the pictures that have been drawn since the last time she was there.

"How is Yuki and Lune?" Haru asked and looked up at Muta first.

"How should I know?" Muta rolled his eyes, "I don't keep up in worlds other than the world I'm in."

"Hm, some help you are," a voice came from over head. Toto had come through the window and looked down at them. Muta wore a frown and was about to shoot back with something to call Toto, but was cut off when the giant crow greeted the visitor, "Hello Haru, how was your time with Hiromi?"

"It was good," she nodded, "How many mulberries were you able to save?"

"Not enough," he sighed sadly and perched himself on the railing.

"Isn't that always the way?" Baron asked with a soft chuckle and turned another page. He found a portrait of the now King Lune and Queen Yuki. They were nice enough to pose for Haru one day on one of their outings to the human world. It was a good eight months ago now.

"That seems so long ago," Haru sighed and looked at the drawing that Baron was looking at. His green eyes scanned her face and then the picture once again.

"From their last message to me, they seemed to be doing well," Baron said and watched Haru smile, "Yuki just delivered their first kitten. A son. There is a new prince in the Cat Kingdom. He has his mother's coat and his father's eyes, if memory serves me correctly."

"He sounds adorable," Haru smiled and looked up to imagine the little fluff ball.

Baron laughed a little and continued, "The Cat King you remember has slipped further into insanity, I'm afraid, but Lune and Natori have kept a close eye on him so he doesn't come looking for you as a bride once again."

"That's a relief," Haru rolled her eyes with a sigh. She paused a moment as her eyebrows furrowed, "But that's too bad about his sanity. I may not like the guy, but no one deserves to go berserk."

Muta could only laugh at the thought of the former ruler's decreasing sanity.

"They look very good, Haru," Baron nodded and smiled to himself at the last page that was still in a figure drawing. He recognized the figures as a couple dancing in one another's arms and thought to himself, 'So, she still thinks about that dance, does she?'

"Any that you think are good enough to paint next?"

"I think any of them will become a fine painting," he handed her book back to her, "Especially with your expertise and skill with a paint brush."

"Ah, come on. Now you're just flattering me," she blushed a little and smiled shyly.

"Don't I always?" he smirked and locked eyes with her. The two of them kept looking into one another's gaze as Muta and Toto looked at them and then at one another. They laughed softly to themselves.

"So, what is on the agenda today, Baron?" Muta asked to distract Baron and made Haru blush deeper and cough into her hand to hide it.

"Nothing much," Baron said as if nothing had happened between him and Haru, "The last few assignments pretty much figured themselves out. And no one has come to search for us. At least not lately. Isn't that right?"

"No one's come to me," he shrugged in return.

"That's because you're always stuffing your face with some kind of food and too busy to notice," Toto muttered and began to preen himself on the railing above them.

"Don't you start with me, birdbrain," Muta hissed.

"There you go with the 'birdbrain' again," Toto's feathers bristled and he looked away from Muta, "I guess I shouldn't expect much more originality from you, fish breath."

"Take that back!" Muta stood up and began to yell and shake his fist up at Toto. They eventually moved it outside where Haru and Baron could still hear them both going at it.

Haru smiled at the normal interaction between her two friends and finished the rest of her tea, "It seems as if that will never change."

"It would be a strange thing if it did," Baron agreed.

"Thanks for the tea, Baron," Haru picked up her pack by the coat rack, put her book away and swung on her jacket. She saw him stand up with her when she got off the couch and she smiled at his chivalry, "I think I may need to get home with no case to solve."

"You won't 'hang out', as it were?" he asked with a bit of hope, "Maybe a dance lesson?"

She giggled at his try at slang, "I would love to, but I have some thinking to do."

"Trying to find that perfect muse for your next painting?" he guessed.

"Something like that," she nodded, "Rain check on the dance lessons?"

"I shall leave you to your work, then," he bowed his head a little for her leave, "Have a great night and I hope your inspiration comes swiftly."

"Me too," she paused a little and then quickly hugged him around the neck.

His arms wrapped around her tightly and he buried his nose in her hair. She gives him hugs every once in a while, but is sometimes scared that he will feel or even hear the thundering of her heart. He finds the hugs too rare and too far in between for his liking. Even so, he never finds it surprising that she gives him the hugs. She is a very affectionate girl, and she always spoke from the heart.

"I will see you tomorrow?" she asked as she took a step back, his arms still loosely draped around her small waist.

He nodded with a smile, "I will be here, as always."

"Have a goodnight, Baron," she bowed her head and hugged her bag to her chest instead of putting it back over her shoulder once she stepped out from his arms. She turned quickly after biting her lip and headed out of the bureau and toward her home. She passed by the still arguing Muta and Toto as she passed through the courtyard.

"See you tomorrow, boys!" she waved at them.

"Goodbye, Haru," they said in unison and automatically went back into their fight as if they never paused.

Baron leaned against the doorframe of the bureau with a cup of tea in his hand. He watched Haru leave under the archway and regain her real height which again reminded him that she wasn't an inhabitant of the sanctuary. He sighed and took another sip of his warm tea with a hum. He knew that she still thought about that dance they shared in the Cat Kingdom, the dance lessons and that new sketch only proved that point. He was only a little disappointed in himself that he never lets her know that he thinks about it too. A little more than he probably should with her being an old client.

"Quite confusing, isn't it?" he asked himself, "Who knew what a cat doll could feel?"

He quickly took a look back into the bureau where a portrait of the Baroness still graced his walls. He barely remembered her. If it wasn't for the painting he wouldn't remember what color her fur was. He couldn't even remember her voice… did she even have one?

"You're moving too slow, Fatso!" Toto yelled at Muta and dragged Baron from his thoughts. Baron shook his head and decided that some reading was in order. Toto would be busy with Muta for possibly another hour or so. There would be no early evening flight for him tonight. Such a pity. Those always had a way of clearing his head.


	2. Chapter I

**Chapter I**:

"Mom, I'm home!" Haru called out her mother as she entered her home and slipped off her shoes.

"Thank goodness," Naoko looked over her shoulder as her daughter came into the main room where the floor was littered with swatches of material and a few dozen paint brushes, "I am having a hard time picking the right quilt pattern."

"What's the problem?" Haru placed her beg next to her art supplies in the corner and rounded the table to look over the pattern that her mother had laid out so far.

"The colors aren't exactly fitting into the pattern," Naoko sighed and moved some of the colors around again, "No matter what colors I use, they don't blend together correctly."

"What about trading this one," she took a few swatches of dark green and traded them with a subtle purple that reminded her of the jewel that the cat king once wore, "With this color. What do you think?"

"That works… it works!" she turned in her chair and hugged her daughter around the neck, "What would I do without you?"

"I have no clue," Haru laughed and went to her latest blank canvas and tilted her head at the blank expanse.

Naoko looked at her daughter in the corner and smirked at her concentration, "Still don't know what to paint next?"

"I have a few ideas, but I don't think that they would fit into my vision at the moment," she pulled out her sketch book and flipped through it.

"You could always paint your feature subject," her mother teased and pointed at a few paintings she had recently finished, "Unless you are finally getting tired of it."

"I will never get tired of it," Haru reassured her mother.

"By the way, I found the attic door open again," Naoko looked at her daughter pointedly, "You know I don't like you up there."

"I was just looking for some inspiration in your old quilts and patterns up there. You never use them, you know," Haru rolled her eyes.

"And you're staying out of the boxes in the corner like I asked?" Naoko raised an eyebrow at her daughter.

"Are any of them opened?" Haru asked with the same lift of the eyebrow.

The mother sighed as a sign of resignation and waved at her daughter as if she made her point.

Haru thought that she soothed her mother's fears and turned toward the stairs, "I'm going to get cleaned up and then I'm going to bed."

"No dinner?" Naoko called over her shoulder.

"I'm not hungry, thanks though," she smiled at her mother, "See you in the morning. And good luck on the quilter's convention tomorrow."

"Why do you think I'm so stressed?" she answered as a thank you.

Haru got into her room after her shower and sat in the middle of her bed. She probably should go with her mother to help sell some of the quilts, but she felt that if something happened with the bureau she wouldn't be of any help miles away. Besides with her mother gone she could go up to the attic and look at all the trinkets that her mother had hidden away over the years. She found that it was the only time that she could without having to worry about being interrupted. The boxes in the corner were her favorites to look through since they belonged to her father. She just felt so guilty for lying to her mother about them.

"She worried too much about it," she said to herself with a nod.

She grabbed a plush animal that she had picked up from the local shop of an orange cat and held it to her chest. She put her mouth to one of its soft ears and sighed.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself and then fell back into her pillows with the plush still in her arms, "How do I continue forward when I am in love with my present?"

She pulled the plush cat away from her after quite a few moments of silence and held it above her head, "You aren't very good with advice, you know that?"

She shifted the doll back and forth over her as if it was talking to her, "But Haru, I'm not the one you should get your advice from."

"Well, he can't very well stay unbiased if I am asking advice about him, now can he?" she frowned at the doll above her, "It's been over one full year and I am not even close to figuring out how he feels about me."

"You can always ask him," she said in a squeaky voice she's designated as the plush's, "Other wise how will you ever know?"

"Oh, now the advice comes out," she grumbled and hugged the doll again, "I guess your right."

She reached over to her bedside table to check her alarm clock was turned on and turned off her lamp. She snuggled into the covers and couldn't help but wonder about what adventure would be next.

* * *

Haru found herself confused and lost. The streets she walked down were dark and dirty and no where familiar to the ones she walked at home. She heard her feet shift against the gravel on the ground and every once in a while she would see a shadow shift in the distance, but she heard no other feet against the ground other than her own.

She looked up into the sky and saw the top of four towers. Three surrounded the area she was in, as if protecting the dark streets and the fourth tower seemed the tallest and held a light at the top of it as if leading to another world. She was drawn to the light and knew then that she must have been another kingdom like when she was in the Cat Kingdom. The light must lead back to the human world. She walked the streets toward the base of the main tower and kept her eyes open for anything that may stop her new mission.

As she turned through the urban like labyrinth, she saw quite a few doorways or arches that had light from the other side. They felt like magic and there was a pull to them as well, but none as much as the one at the top of the tower. On each doorway or portals she saw familiar markings, but she didn't know where from. She continued on until she walked by a window to what looked like an old antique shop. In the window was none other than Baron. He was frozen like he was sleeping in the window.

"Baron!" she gasped and pushed against the window. She struggled against the glass and then turned to see if she could find something to open the window with. When she couldn't find a rock large enough she turned back to find him missing, "Baron?"

"Follow the light…" she heard his voice call to her, "I will save you, but you must follow the light."

"Save me from what?" she asked. She stood still for a moment and then felt the ground shift beneath her. She looked over her shoulder as one of the doorways opened with a bright light and a legion of spirits sprung out toward her. She screamed and ran fast toward the main tower. She had to reach the top. If the light was the sunlight from her world, she would have to get there soon or more than likely turn into one of them.

The spirits were all different- some were animals and others were human and one seemed to rise over the others in the very back. He was wearing a heavy crown and was pointing at her. He was screaming orders to the spirits that were right behind her and they began to pursue after her faster. She could only guess that he was their king, especially considering the grand crown of dark gold and precious gems that sat on his brow. His beard was long and looked so light it reminded Haru of ash or smoke. His robes were dark like night and blended into the sky around her. Her legs were heavy as she reached the bottom of the stairs and began to run.

"Give in, Haru!" a spirit called from below her. The voice seemed calm, but she knew better than to trust it and she shook her head as she kept running, "You can't outrun death. It always catches up."

She felt so alone in this sprint for freedom, unlike her adventure in the cat kingdom. At least then she had her friends with her, to help her and give her support. What was she going to do when she got to the top of this tower? Was she going to take a leap off the top and hope that Toto and his friends were in the area? Baron knew that she was in this kingdom and said that he would help her, but she had to keep running. That's what he told her. He would save her if she only kept going toward the light.

One of the spirits made a jump for her and caught her ankle before they fell from the tower. She screamed and tumbled off the side of the tower before she quickly grabbed the side of the steps and hung on tightly. She didn't realize that she had already climbed so high and looked down at the small buildings below her dangling feet. The spirits below her stopped and watched her dangle above their kingdom. She felt some one step next to her fingers above her and her breath caught in her throat. Were they there to throw her from the tower?

"Haru, give me your hand," a voice said gently.

"Baron," she sighed happily, held out her hand and gripped the one above her. As she looked up she screamed and saw the spirit that had the heavy crown.

"Wrong person, I expect?" he asked in Baron's voice. He held out a figurine from behind him and she saw it was the real Baron, but he was frozen in place like he does while he sleeps in the window. The monarch laughed and spoke in a much deeper voice than Baron's, "I think this is who you were expecting? I doubt that he'd be much help for you. Even though he tried so very hard."

At that he tossed the figurine over the side of the tower.

"Baron!" she reached out with the hand he wasn't holding and barely caught Baron in her hand.

"How touching, but it's too late for you both," the monarch released her hand from his and she began to fall.

She screamed and hugged Baron to her, "Baron wake up! Please Baron!"

She looked at the figurine and slowly it began to turn to ash and fall away from her grasp. She reached for the falling pieces, but couldn't put them back together into Baron even if she caught them all. She watched helplessly as Baron floated away and the ground began to rush towards her. She closed her eyes and braced herself against the impact.

* * *

"Baron!" Haru sat up with a hand to her chest and one arm reaching out into the darkness of her room. Her heart rate settled as she took deep breaths and turned to her alarm clock. It was only three in the morning. She planned on not waking up for another four hours. She groaned and threw the covers off of her.

"So much for getting all my sleep tonight," she groaned and changed quickly into a sweatshirt and sweat pants set. She turned off her alarm clock and headed down the stairs. She only grabbed her keys and what she knew she would need until she could come back in the early afternoon. On that thought, she wrote a note to her mother apologizing for missing breakfast, but explaining that she went out for a jog to clear her mind and wouldn't be back until later. She also wished her good luck on the quilting convention if she missed her before she left.

Haru carefully exited her house without waking her mother and started to jog down the street toward the Crossroads. She had some questions and she needed a little reassurance as well.

* * *

Baron sat in his small house, still awake and going over the last few papers concerning their latest missions in the area. His sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing the orange fur that covered a good portion of his body. Toto had already fallen asleep on his perch, tired from his own mission to save his precious mulberries. Muta had opted to skip the paperwork and sleep at the Crossroads. He felt that he was needed there, although he couldn't explain why. Baron could only conclude that he wanted to be as far away as he could from the paperwork.

"Last one," he whispered to himself and put the last of the pages into a folder stacked neatly with the others. He quickly piled them together and into a few cabinets that he set aside just for the paper work for the bureau.

With the paperwork done his mind drifted back to the one subject that it has been caught on as of late- a certain young woman who is more like one of them at the bureau than an old client. She fit with them and always felt like she belonged in the sanctuary and in their adventures.

"Haru," he groaned as his ears lay back against his head in frustration. He wasn't mad with her, quite the opposite actually, which was what he was mad at himself for. He knew that she had voiced her affections for him that day one year ago on top of the school building. And he did nothing. He said something that he truly did admire her for, but couldn't find it within himself to tell her the full extent of what he thought he was beginning to feel for her.

Was he in love with her then, that day on the rooftop?

No, he knew he wasn't.

But there was something there- a slight glow of something that has only grown within him since that day.

And now he can still see the affections she holds for him in her hugs, laughter and the way they dance together. And still, he says nothing. He was a coward for it, and he knew it. A gentleman should always make it clear what they wanted between them and a lady. But the question was if _he_ knew what he wanted between himself and Haru.

He turned toward the portrait of the white cat in the back of the bureau and crossed his arms over his chest, "Life is never simple for ones like us, is it Louise?"

His ear twitched and then turned toward the door before anything made a noise, "A visitor this late?"

He looked up at a nice Victorian clock on the side of the wall, "Or should I say early?"

A soft knock was finally heard from the front door and Baron quickly made his way over to it. If they were seeking help at this hour, they must be of some need. When he opened the door he stood a little shocked at what he saw.

Haru was standing in front of his door in sweat gear as if she was out for a morning jog. He looked her over quickly and noticed her hands were clenched at her sides and she refused to look up at him. He then took the time and looked closely at her face where her eyes were misty and she was struggling to keep her breathing in check. Something was terribly wrong. There wasn't much that could make Haru cry, and one of the last things that did was her being turned part cat. With her looking perfectly human, Baron didn't know how to take a crying Haru other than to let her in the bureau and have a good talk over a cup of tea.

"Haru?" he asked and held out a hand for her, "What's the matter?"

"I just needed…" she struggled as she stepped into the bureau, past his hand and he shut the door behind her. She paused for just a few moments until she finally turned around, looked up with him with a few tears in her eyes and leapt into his arms. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her face went right into the crook of his neck where it fit perfectly every time they hugged, "…I needed to know you were okay."

For a brief moment as Baron soothed Haru's back with one of his gloved hands, he felt selfish. Because even though his friend was upset, he felt that the hug was over due and that it was the only thing that either of them needed to worry about at the time. And for the life of him he couldn't feel guilty for the feeling and could only hold her tighter to him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter II:**

"It has started," a voice said in contentment as eyes shifted from side to side through the dark shadows around them.

"What is this going to accomplish?" a smaller voice asked from the side.

"You break the girl…" a dark hand materialized and swirled some dust and shadows together. The dust made a small vortex where a picture of Haru materialized. At first her dream self stared back with wide, fearful eyes, then the next picture had her gasping and waking up with a yelp. In the last picture she was running down the street with a young man at her heels. She looked annoyed and kept turning corners when she eventually lost him. Then the hand shifted directions and a picture of Baron at his desk shown through the vortex, "… then you break the unbreakable. _His_ soul."

"This helps us how, master?" another voice asked as a pair of blue eyes looked on the conversation from the small doorway. The owner of the eyes was curious and she cursed herself for coming into the conversation late. She would have to gain what information she missed at another time. Hopefully there was still time left to do so with all the preparations that the king had in store for the kingdom and for her. Thankfully he didn't know that she was there… yet.

"Without his soul, he loses the will to live and rightly becomes mine," the deep voice quivered in dark laughter, "He is a creation and since he was never born, he could never really die. But his soul is the only thing that brings him to life. With no soul, he will never wake up again and will become 'dead'. He will no longer be a nuisance to me or any other kingdom. Far too many stories have surrounded that figurine as if he could do anything. The last thing I need is for him to come here and try to take my kingdom out from under me like he had done with the Cat King. I am far from my time of retirement. Instead, with him under my control, he will be a huge help for my kingdom here, and ultimately me."

The others around him began to laugh with him before he cut them off.

"Where's the princess?" he looked at the eyes that surrounded him, who all looked away as his eyes scanned theirs, "We need her ready and she better cooperate this time. I have groomed her best I can to be the next queen when the time is right, and I don't want my time to have been a waste."

"And if she doesn't cooperate this time?" one voice asked a little annoyed with the princess as it was.

"I will do what I always do with things in my way," the king paused and looked out toward the hallway where the pair of blue eyes hid behind the wall, "I throw them from my tower. Besides, there are more princesses to choose from the royal line."

The blue eyes widened. She turned from the doorway and began to run toward the only one who may be able to help.

The cat figurine and the Cat Bureau.

* * *

"Now what's this about you needing to know that I was okay?" Baron pulled Haru back from him to look her in the eyes, of which looked like they were going to overflow at any moment with tears. She hesitated a little and he led her over to his couch to sit her down. As he turned to start on his tea, she caught his arm.

"Baron, just do me a favor a sit with me for a few. Forget the tea," she looked up at him, "I just need to know you're here for a little bit."

"As you wish," he sat down next to her on the couch and her hand never left his arm. He looked her over as she stared intently at the place where her hand ran over the fur on his arm, "What happened?"

"It's silly really," she shook her head with a forced smile and didn't look up from her hand, "I just had a nightmare and I wanted to make sure it wasn't real."

"You had a nightmare about me?" he asked.

"Well, you weren't the thing that made it the nightmare," she assured him. She looked up into his eyes and hugged him fiercely around the neck and pulled him close yet again. He decided that he didn't mind the hugs, but wondered why she was so moved to do such an action so often that night. He moved slightly so she could be comfortable and she ended up nearly in his lap. He pushed propriety aside for the moment just for the time to comfort her. He rubbed her back in a circle and felt a few stray tears fall from her eyes and hit his neck where she had her head buried.

"Now this nightmare couldn't be all that bad. You've faced worse," he soothed her with a tender voice, "And as you see, I am completely unharmed and where I told you I would be."

"They threw me from a tower," she said with tears in her voice, "And you were frozen as if you were sleeping. Then you turned into ash and I was still falling…"

"Shh," he ran a hand through her short hair and hugged her gently, "You're safe in the bureau; it was a dream. The cats aren't after you anymore."

"They weren't cats," she sat back a little and sniffed, "They were spirits… ghosts. They were chasing me through their kingdom and following me up the tower. They were telling me that I couldn't out run death. And then I lost you and…"

"You will never lose me, Haru," he held her face between his hands and looked her in the eyes, "I will always be here for you. Day or night."

"As I have just proven," she chuckled a little as more tears slid down her face, "I'm sorry for doing this over a stupid nightmare."

"Don't apologize," he shook his head and then wiped some of the tears from her cheeks with his handkerchief. She smiled a little and kept eye contact with him, "It frightened you. We all have things that we are afraid of."

"Yeah, I guess so," she shrugged her shoulders and held his hands in hers after he put his handkerchief back in his pocket, "Promise me something, Baron."

"I will if I can," he said truthfully.

"Promise me that you will always be there," she asked and squeezed his hands, "Promise me that you won't do something that will cost you your life and you won't be here. The world needs you here… and so do I."

He felt captured by her words and for the first time that he could remember doing so he leaned forward and caught _her_ in a hug. He squeezed her and she hugged back just as enthusiastically. She knew that he was okay, and that he wasn't ash somewhere floating in the wind. That's all she really wanted for the night. To make sure he was okay and to feel him under her hands. Maybe that's why she needed to hug him and have him close to her.

"I promise that whenever you need me, I will be here," he said softly into her hair and gave her a quick peck on the crown of her head.

"Thank you," she said a little muffled into his shirt and wasn't sure if she felt a kiss or just the wipe of his whiskers.

"Now that this is all settled," he said and looked into her clearer eyes, "What about a nice rest?"

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep for a little while," she said and then added with a bit of a laugh, "But I may need a hide out for a little while."

"Why is that?"

"Machida saw me jogging this morning on my way here and tried to talk to me into dating him when I really wasn't in the mood," she said with a slight frown, "I lost him around Crossroads and I really don't want him to find me. He will give up in a few hours."

"I see," Baron raised one of his eyebrows at the young man's behavior and then wrapped his arms around Haru as if in a protective gesture, "When a gentleman knows that his affections are not returned and actually scorned he stops the pursuit of the young lady."

"That's why I don't see Machida as a gentleman. After he asked me out the first three times, I would think that he would get the idea that I am not interested," Haru said and looked up at him from within his arms, "But you must be exhausted. Go ahead and rest if you need to, Baron."

"The great thing about being an object with a soul is that I don't need much sleep, even if I do enjoy to dream every once in a while," he explained and waved off the idea of leaving her on her lonesome. Haru thought about the comment and couldn't help but notice that even though Baron was a doll, he always felt like he had flesh under his fur when ever she hugged him or was close to him. She even felt the heat that radiated from under his clothing as if coming from a warm blooded body.

"Did you ever pursue any ladies, Baron?" Haru asked and made Baron cough into his hand by the abrupt question.

"I wasn't made to pursue anyone," he explained and looked at the portrait of Louise that hung on the wall.

Haru followed his line of sight and saw the white cat portrait. She was always curious about it and it was a perfect opportunity to ask, "Who was she?"

"Her name was never really given to her, and if she did have one I don't remember it," he tried to get the information from what little memories he had of that time, "All I know was that her title was Baroness."

"She was your wife."

"Not exactly," he shook his head, "When I was made with the care and detail that I was, the artisan that created me thought that I would need company. So he made a fiancée for me. We were never to be married it seems."

"What happened to her?"

"She was damaged one day and was sent out for repairs," he explained with a flourish of his hand, while keeping his other arm around her, "I was given to an antique shop owner when he was quite young when his betrothed at the time was to wait for the Baroness when she was repaired and reunite us then. They were separated by continents and war. By the time he was able to return when he went back to find her with me in tow, he couldn't find any sign of his betrothed or of the Baroness. So in sadness he went back to Japan and named the Baroness after the woman he lost… Louise. Never to see either one of them again."

"How tragic… What was she like?" Haru asked and then slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself, "I'm sorry, Baron. I shouldn't be prying like this."

"No, it's quite all right," he pulled the hand from her mouth and tucked her head under his chin, "I haven't even thought of her as late. It's nice to try and remember."

"Why don't you think of her?" she wrapped her arms around his chest as if she knew that he was the one that needed a bit of comfort this time around.

"I don't remember much of her," he shook his head.

"Was she like you?" Haru asked and listened intently to his story of his lost, made-for fiancée, "With a soul, I mean."

"I don't know," he thought for a moment, "I don't think she ever came to life like I had. I had that spark of life and she always felt so cold. I try to remember her voice, and I can't. I think it is because she never had one. The artisan made me out of love and devotion; which made me a living creation. He made her so I wouldn't get lonely, and I guess that made her more of an accessory."

"So you got a soul when she didn't?"

"Sadly, I think you are right," he shrugged with his thought and the new revelation he never explored on his own, "I thought I loved her, but I now know that it was more of a duty to her than the actual emotion."

"Have you ever been in love?" Haru asked a little hesitantly.

"I don't know yet," he smiled at her and felt her body relax against his. She hummed in response and she felt heavier against him. He smiled a little wider and leaned back against the couch as she made herself comfortable against him. He ran a hand over her hair with a glove still on. Strange, he still felt everything through his gloves.

"Can I stay here for just a little while longer?" she asked though her voice sounded a little slow, "Your heartbeat… is so gentle."

She was falling back to sleep and both her and Baron knew it. How else would she be able to hear a heartbeat from a wooden doll? He settled into a comfortable position for them both and nodded down to her.

"Take all the time you need," he kissed the top of her head again and she slowly fell into a deep, calm sleep, "You can stay here forever if you need to."

Once he knew that she was asleep for sure he let himself purr.

* * *

Muta stretched as he walked into the sanctuary on his back legs. It was late morning and he knew that Baron would more than likely be done with the paperwork he had started on last night. That meant that he would be able to have some breakfast without the interruption of paper after paper, after paper. He could always go to one of the houses that fed him, but he just wanted to rest at the bureau and not have to worry about dogs or tall fences.

The doors were closed to the bureau which wasn't all that strange. He would just have to see if Baron was up and awake. If Baron wasn't than he would be able to raid the pantry of food during Baron's nap. Muta took a peek through the windows and didn't find Baron in either one.

"That's strange," Muta scratched the top of his head and then opened the doors slowly as not to give any suspicion to himself. He crept to the couch and looked over to see Haru sleeping soundly in Baron's arms. She was cuddled half way between Baron and the back of the couch while one of her arms was tucked between the two of them. Her other arm draped across his waist, as his arm encircled her waist and his other laid protectively over her arm. Baron himself had his eyes closed, but opened them quickly once he knew Muta was in the room.

Muta titled his head in question and gave Baron a sly smirk. Baron put a single finger to his lips and Muta nodded as he went to the food cupboard and began to put something together for the three of them. Baron carefully slid out from Haru, even when she made it a bit difficult for him at first, trying to keep a good hold on him. He eventually was able to replace his body with a large pillow and began to help Muta with the breakfast.

"When did Chicky get here?" Muta whispered as Baron began to heat up the water for tea.

"Very early this morning," Baron answered and paused only briefly in the preparation of the water, "She had a very bad nightmare and needed an ear to listen. Naturally, she came here."

"A nightmare?" Muta asked and looked back at the couch where she was sleeping very well from the look of it, "It must have been a heck of a dream if it scared her."

"It was a very vivid one to her," Baron nodded and brought out some fresh fruit he was saving for Toto, but he knew Haru would enjoy it this morning, "She came all the way here to make sure that I was still here."

"So that's what scared her," Muta nodded in understanding and then took a big bite out of the left over cake from a few nights before, "Makes a lot of sense now. She really cares for you, Baron."

"I know."

"You care for her too," Muta reminded him, "When are you going to do something about it?"

"I never act unless I know what I am doing. It would be unwise and hurtful to do otherwise," Baron sighed sadly and began to put together his special blend of tea, "Keep coming with breakfast and leave some for us, Muta."

"I always do, don't I?" he asked with a sad smile when he realized his friend wasn't going to go further into the topic of Haru and feelings. Baron shot him a sharp look at his last question and Muta rolled his eyes, "That was a totally different circumstance. Life or death."

"Your stomach was growling for the first time in ten years and it was life or death?" Toto asked as he hopped on the railing above his friends.

"Don't start with me!" Muta pointed up at him.

"Will you both kindly stop yelling? We have guest trying to sleep," Baron said in a hushed whisper.

"Not anymore," Haru said in a sleepy voice as she sat up. She stretched her arms over her head and tilted her head to one side to stretch out the kinks and then to the other side.

"Sorry for waking you up, Chicky," Muta muttered and shifted away from Baron who had a frown on his face.

"I am as well," Toto apologized.

"It is okay guys," she nodded at them both and put a hand on Baron's arm to keep him from staring harshly at the other two for now, "I needed to get up anyway."

"Are you hungry?" Baron asked and gestured to the fruits and bread on his table that he had set out.

"Not too much, no," she shook her head, but took an apple into her hand and bit into it. She swallowed and smiled up at him, "Thank you."

"Do not mention it," he smiled back at her, his earlier annoyance of his friends forgotten with just a hand on his arm, "Toto couldn't possibly eat all the fruit."

"But Muta could," Toto said behind them and Muta began to yell again at his friend and took the fight outside.

Haru chuckled along with Baron as their friends left as fast as they came. Haru paused a little and looked from her apple to Baron, "I meant, thank you for last night. You really helped me out and it was one of the best nights of sleep I've had in a while."

"That says something since you were sleeping on a lumpy cat doll," he said with a smirk.

"You're very comfortable, despite that," she smiled and moved her hand from his arm.

"Well, I will take that as a compliment," he did a grand bow in her direction and she bowed her head at him.

"Take it as you will, sir."

They both shared a laugh together and he poured her a cup of his tea when it was ready. They both sat on the couch together and had light conversation with the echoes of arguing outside drifting in. He watched the warm smile on Haru as she commented that the tea was very good and tasted sweet this time around. She finished her apple and tea during their talk and took a pause to dispose of the core.

"So what are your plans for the day?" he asked to start another round of conversation as she sat back down. He looked at her as if he wanted her to stay at the bureau today with him… and the others of course.

"Don't tell me that you haven't had enough of my company," she laughed again and continued in a teasing manner, "You would think that you would tire of me after these many days and hours of my coming and meddling."

"I didn't think that that was possible with you and I,"

"In that case, I didn't have anything planned," she shrugged and leaned toward him as if she was telling him a secret. He leaned toward her as well to listen to her intently, "I was thinking that-"

"Baron!" Toto burst through the doors above them and made the two of them jump apart instantly.

"Although, I am beginning to tire of some other company," Baron muttered and made Haru blush. Baron looked up and thought that he was going to have to referee for the fight between his two other friends, "What's the matter, Toto?"

"We have a new visitor," Toto said and covered his beak with his wing as he knew he just ruined a moment between them.

"Well," Baron stood and rolled down his sleeves, "Shall we go meet our new guest?"

"Dressed like this?" Haru pointed to her sweat pants and her messy hair, "I slept in this outfit just after a jog in them."

"I just slept in my clothing as well," he reminded her and shrugged on his jacket and placed his top hat over his ears before taking hold of his cane. He leaned over her for a moment as she was still sitting on the couch and placed a finger under her chin so she could look up at him, "Besides, you still look fetching."

She blushed deeper than before, "Why do you have to be so charming?"

"I think that is one quality that will- and should- never fade with time," he smiled before he held out an arm for her, "Shall we?"

She quickly ran her hands over her hair to flatten it to her head and then nodded. She grabbed his arm and they both walked outside to meet the new arrival, and more than likely new client.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter III:**

Out in the courtyard of the sanctuary Muta was standing next to what looked like a young girl no older than Haru herself. The young girl had either already been shrunk by the sanctuary or was originally the size of a doll. She had dark hair, but Haru noticed that it wasn't quite pure black. It was a dark grey, with almost a blue hint in the sun- it reminded her a lot of Lune's coloring. The dress she wore was a dark blue color with black accents and a black ribbon right below her rib cage. The material itself looked expensive and Haru guessed that she may be a member of a higher class from another world, since many of the other worlds and kingdoms were connected to the sanctuary. The girl's eyes were locked on Muta until Haru and Baron came out of the bureau. They were a shocking blue and knocked Haru back a little at their intensity.

The young girl immediately ran up to Baron, "Are you the cat figurine in charge of the Cat Bureau?"

'She has an English accent… just like Baron,' Haru noticed.

"Indeed I am," Baron let go of Haru's arm to bow with a sweep of his hat, "My name is Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen and this lovely young woman to the side of me is Haru Yoshioka. Welcome to the Bureau."

"Hello," Haru waved and then bowed her head to the new arrival.

"My, aren't you impressive?" she commented and looked closely at Baron, completely ignoring Haru. She leaned toward him and looked like she was inspecting his clothing, but it was a bit too close for Haru's liking.

"Thank you," he said without much enthusiasm, especially since she was ignoring Haru. He placed his hat back on his head and looked over the girl, "We haven't caught your name."

"I am Princess Kimiko," she curtsied with her dress, "I have ran away from my kingdom to ask for your help, Baron Gikkingen."

"Then princess, I believe we have much to discuss," he gestured to the bureau.

She smiled and took hold of his arm quickly before Haru had a chance, "Please, fine sir, lead the way."

Baron looked shocked at the young girl's forwardness and Haru looked like she was going to murder the new client. Muta stepped next to Haru as they watched the new client drag Baron into the bureau.

"So, new competition for you, huh Chicky?" Muta asked with a smirk and folded his arms in front of him.

"We will just see about that," Haru frowned and walked quickly after Baron, 'I don't care if she's royal or not. She is not going to divide us like this.'

"This has a unique taste," Princess Kimiko said as she sipped at the tea that Baron gave her. She had sat herself in Baron's chair, but Haru noticed that she had left more than enough room for another body next to her. Baron stood awkwardly at the side of the couch with his own cup of tea in hand and his hat and jacket back on the coat rack to the side.

"Have you tried it with milk?" Haru asked and filled her cup again with the tea and a little milk and sat on the couch. Baron smiled in thanks and sat next to her on the couch instead of the half of a chair offered to him. Toto snickered above them and Haru had to smile to herself at his amusement.

"No, I prefer lemon," Kimiko frowned seeing that Baron had chosen a seat next to the plain girl in sweat clothes rather than the comfortable seat next to her. She pouted a little and took another sip to cover it, "Milk in tea sounds rather ridiculous."

"It all depends on your tastes… and, of course, where you come from," Haru said and sipped on her tea with a small smile of victory. She's agitated the girl. Good, that's what she was going for, "By the way, where is that?"

"I am from a well traveled kingdom, though it has no true given name," she explained and settled in the middle of the large chair, seeing as Baron had chosen not to join her. She made the large chair look like a throne as she straightened her spine and sipped delicately on the tea, "I am from the Kingdom Between Lives. The passageway between life and the after life."

"A ghost kingdom?" Muta asked as he came into the bureau. He waited a moment to make sure that the new client wasn't thrown out by Haru before he tried to enter the small house.

"You could call it that," she nodded and looked at Haru who had turned pale and fairly silent, "Why Miss Yoshioka, are you scared of ghosts?"

"Not so much," Haru shook her head and tried to focus and show the girl she wasn't afraid, "Just reminded me of a really strange dream I had. Nothing to worry yourself about, your majesty."

"Oh, don't worry, I wasn't," she waved her hand at Haru.

"I find it very interesting you found this place, princess," Baron continued after he gave Haru a nervous glance. Their new client may not be worried about her, but he was. He turned fully to the royal girl, "Only creations and mostly cats know about this place. And as far as I know, Toto and I are the last creations."

"Well, as you can see I am _not_ a creation," she gestured to herself and laughed a little nervously, "…nor a cat, but we have had many consultations with other kingdoms, one of them being that of the Cat Kingdom. We learned that the once prince is now king and that had in some part come to pass with your help, Baron Gikkingen. You are well known through out the many kingdoms and helped in their problems as well, from what I have heard and seen. Besides, it was fairly easy to follow your cat friend here. He isn't all that hard to miss."

"Why _are_ you here for help?" Muta asked from behind the couch with a frown at the comment of his weight. Client or not, that was uncalled for, "You would think that a princess would have it made in what ever kingdom you're from."

"The king that rules now is a bit of a tyrant toward his kingdom," she explained and looked a bit pained, "Even though it's a kingdom that has allowed many inhabitants to pass through to their new after life, some stay and wish to become part of the kingdom as they are. I believe that he isn't the kind of king to rule over anyone, he's more so of a surveyor or just an observant. He is very harsh toward those who stay and in the long run will more than likely destroy the kingdom itself."

"They why do the people stay?" Haru asked.

"Because they are afraid of what awaits them beyond the dark gate into the next life," Kimiko explained and looked into Haru's eyes, "Aren't you?"

"I think that it would be an adventure… to die," she said with a small smirk, "It's just one adventure I hope can wait quite a few more years for me."

"I agree," Baron said right after her and then turned his attention back to the princess, "Has the king always been the reigning monarch?"

"Not always," she shook her head, "He took over after his predecessor moved on to his next life not too long ago."

"Are you all ghosts?" Haru asked.

"We are all souls who were once in a body here on earth," Kimiko explained, "Souls that have moved on from their first life, seeking for the next."

"Very interesting," Baron held his chin in thought.

"Baron Gikkingen, you helped the Cat Kingdom reform; if you can't help mine to do the same, then please allow me refuge," Princess Kimiko pleaded, "I will do what I must to stay away from that man's rule. He has been known to throw his people from the towers that surround our kingdom. I don't want that fate to befall me."

"The king would throw his own daughter off a tower?" Toto asked with a gasp.

"This one… yes, definitely," she nodded, "And he wouldn't hesitate to take the soul of an object either. Not even one as special as either of you. And believe me, he knows about you. I just want to give you fair warning."

"But if you are a soul without a body, how would falling from a tower harm you any?" Haru asked with a little tremor in her voice from the talk of the towers.

"If you perish in that kingdom, spirit or no, you will simply disappear as if you never existed. You will cease to be. No one would remember you, living or dead."

There was a moment of tense silence as the whole group pondered the new job before them.

"Excuse me," Haru got up from the couch and walked outside. Baron followed her with his eyes and then looked up at Toto who nodded and followed Haru out to the courtyard.

"I will do some research and do what I can, Princess," Baron nodded at her.

"Kimiko, please," she waved at him.

"It may take some time to go through the necessary books and subject matter. You have your choices of the homes in the sanctuary until we have reached a plan to help you escape, or help your kingdom," Baron stood up after placing his cup to the side. He bowed to the girl, "If you will excuse me."

"You have my thanks, my lord," she said with a small bow of her head.

"Call me Baron, please," he turned from her and walked outside to Haru and Toto.

"Who is that girl, anyway?" Kimiko asked Muta who was still standing behind the couch, "A charge of his?"

"Nope, just the girl he is in love with, but doesn't know it," Muta shrugged and watched in pleasure as the princess spit her tea all over her dress.

"Haru," Baron called to her as she had made it half way across the sanctuary when Toto stopped her from going any further. Toto and Haru stopped their talking and Baron noticed that she seemed to have calmed down a little. Toto had put her in ease and he would have to thank him later. He put a hand on each of her arms and held her in front of him, "Are you okay?"

"It's just a bit of shock is all," Haru shrugged and looked at Toto quickly, "Thank you for the small talk, Toto. I really appreciated it."

"Any time, Haru," he nodded to her and looked toward the bureau, "I'm going to go and make sure that Fatso doesn't eat the new client."

"Thank you, Toto," Baron nodded to his feathered friend before he took off toward his balcony perch in the bureau. He rubbed up and down her arms slightly, "What did he tell you to help calm you down."

"A few words of encouragement," she shrugged and tilted her head to the side, "Why?"

"I would like to know what I can tell you when you are upset to help you calm down. I hate seeing you upset," he leaned toward her and put his hand gently under her chin to raise her eyes to look into his, "Again, are you okay?"

"How did I know all that about her kingdom before she even got here?" Haru asked and looked into Baron's eyes with a bit of fear laced through their brown coloring, "Something tells me that if I see a picture of the king I will recognize him immediately as the guy that threw you and I off that tower in my dream."

"You don't know that, Haru," he hugged her quickly and put his chin to the top of her head, "Come back in, finish your tea and we can figure out the next step. Please."

Haru looked over his shoulder and saw that the princess was waiting at the doorway for Baron with Muta sitting in his chair outside. The new comer did not look happy at the way that she and Baron were interacting.

"I think it's time that I went home and freshened up a bit," Haru said and took a step back from Baron, "I need a shower at one point today. And just like creations don't need to sleep, I bet they don't have all that many showers either."

"No, the bureau does not have a shower," he shook his head in affirmation of her guess.

"I will be back in a couple of hours," she said and made a smile come to his feline features. She tilted her head and without thinking too much on it, placed a swift kiss to Baron's cheek. She smiled shyly and placed her hands behind her back before she could do anything more. He put a hand to the cheek she kissed and looked at her with surprise still on his features; she even thought that she saw a slight blush from under the fur on his cheeks. She began to walk backwards toward the exit with a huge grin on her face, "Make sure that she doesn't try anything while I'm gone."

He nodded silently and watched her grow into her real height and then disappear around a corner through the alleyways back to her world.

As his hand lingered on his cheek he turned back to the bureau and saw why Haru was grinning so wide when she walked away. The princess stood in the bureau doorway, her pretty face red with anger. She quickly turned from Baron and walked to a house a few doors away and slammed the door behind her.

"Well, one thing is for sure," Baron chuckled and looked at the sky, "Things are going to get very interesting around here."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV:**

Two and a half hours later Baron was still over a few dozen books trying to research the Kingdom Between Lives. He couldn't find any mention of it word for word in any of his research books. He read over and over about the gates of Heaven and Hell, of purgatory and limbo, even of the nothingness that many had come to accept as death. But for the life of him, he couldn't seem to find any mention of the princess's kingdom.

The window facing out toward the courtyard was dimming with the sunlight of the late afternoon. He saw that Princess Kimiko had chosen a house half way between the archway and the bureau. He could see it from his window now and knew that she was making it her own. The outside color had turned darker and he could see bits of lights flash through the windows every once in a while. Being the princess of the hereafter she more than likely had abilities to make that place her own. She hadn't come to bother him since Haru left which made it much easier for him to work.

He leaned in his chair and stretched out his back. He may be a doll, but it seems like muscles grow in his being every time that he wakes up. Then become cramped when he was over using them or even when he hadn't used them too much. Toto had helped for a while until he decided that a rest was in order. He wanted to stay up during the night this time around and to do that he really needed his rest. Muta again couldn't be found and was more than likely at the Crossroads begging food from people or watching out for suspicious activity concerning the princess.

He ran a hand over his ears quickly and sighed at the information that he had gained, but the not what he needed, "How do I help a princess from a kingdom that doesn't have a history, but is as old as time?"

"Maybe you just need to look in the right place," Haru walked through the doors and shut them carefully behind her. Baron smiled from his desk and noticed that she looked refreshed and had changed into a long shirt and a short sleeved blouse. She held a book under one arm with her bag slung over one shoulder. She put her bag to the side of the room, right by the coat hanger and put the book on Baron's desk, "How are you doing? You look frustrated."

"You read me well," he commented and stood up from his chair to stretch out his back a little better. He looked at the book now on his desk and noticed it didn't have a title on the cover, "What is this?"

"Something I found in my father's old books mom keeps locked up in the attic," she explained and flipped open some of the pages, "He was… let's say an enthusiast on paranormal happenings and studied the occult. He died a few months before I was born so I never got to really know him. My mother never liked what he was studying and tried to keep me out of it growing up. She locked up his books and study material from me hoping that I would believe whatever she told me about the man my father was."

"You didn't believe her?"

"Oh, I believed her," Haru nodded her head and found the page she was looking for, "But by the time I came back from the Cat kingdom I knew that I wanted to know my father a little more than what she wanted tell me. So whenever she was out at a quilting convention I would sneak into the attic and find his old books and journals. Including this one."

Baron pulled the book closer to himself and looked over the page that had scribbles and notes all over the pages. The kingdom was described in short notes and gave a little more information than what the princess had given them. He turned a few pages and soaked up the information and the pictures on the pages. At least he knew where Haru got her artistic skill from.

Haru pointed to a few of the smaller pictures on the pages, "I saw these on some of the doorways and possible gates in my dream. They looked familiar, but I didn't know from where until I reviewed this book at home after my shower."

"Hm," Baron nodded and looked at the hieroglyphic looking pictures. He kept scanning the pages with Haru on the other side of the desk from him. Then there on one of the last pages he saw a rough sketch of a monarch with an ashy beard and what looked like a heavy crown. He looked up at Haru and saw her shuffle a little in her place and she leaned back from the desk.

"Is this the man who appeared in your dream?" he asked and pointed to the picture on the page.

Haru nodded and looked away, "That's when I knew I had to get this book to you."

Baron sighed and closed the book. He rounded the table and hugged Haru from behind, "Thank you. It gives me a little more to work off of."

"You're welcome," she smiled. She put her arms over where his laid around her waist and stomach and leaned back against him, "You're doing this more and more ever since this morning."

"What's that?" he put his chin to her shoulder.

"Hugging me… being more, dare I say it, affectionate?" she questioned and turned her head slightly to see the end of his muzzle, "I was wondering why."

"Should I stop?" he asked and loosened his arms just slightly.

"No, I didn't say that," she gripped at his hands just a little before they could fall back to his sides, "I was just curious."

"I felt that it was needed," he hugged her tighter and felt her breathe out in relief. He smiled and stayed silent with her for a moment.

'_**She cares about you, Baron,'**_ Muta's voice echoed through his mind as he felt her breathe against him. She looked out the windows of the bureau and to the courtyard that was bright with the sunlight. He could tell she was smiling even if he could only see a part of her cheek and her nose.

'_**I know.'**_

'_**You care about her, too. When are you going to do something about it?'**_

He took in a breath and tried to build enough courage to say what he needed to, "Haru?"

"Mm hm?" she asked as if waking out of a daydream.

"What are you thinking at this exact moment?"

She turned in his arms so that she could face him. Her head tilted a little bit and she smiled in what seemed like contentment, "I was thinking about how nice it was to just stop and let the world pass by instead of trying to run with it."

"Is running so bad?" he asked with a slight chuckle.

"Not when there's an adventure to be had," she shook her head slightly and looked into his eyes, "And when you have a partner running with you."

"Do you have a partner?" he asked without thinking.

"Is someone applying for the job?" she smiled and hugged him around the chest while still looking up at him.

"I would hardly call it a job," he placed his forehead to hers and they both closed their eyes, "There is something I need to tell you and I fear that I have been a coward for far to long concerning the subject."

"You, a coward?" she opened her eyes to tease him, but saw that his eyes looked worried, "I didn't think that it was possible."

"It seems that around you anything is possible," he took her hands from around him and held them in front of him even though the two of them were just as close. He closed his eyes as if trying to find the right words to say.

"Baron?" Haru asked a little scared that her friend was acting this way.

"Haru, would you mind terribly if I-"

"Baron," Princess Kimiko opened the doors wide and sung his name as she entered. She looked at the two of them and raised a brow, "Did I interrupt something?"

"What does it look like?" Haru slit her eyes in annoyance at the princess.

"We will have this discussion later," Baron promised in a whisper as he dropped their hands slowly. He turned to their client, "What can I do for you, Kimiko?"

She brought up a small, empty tin cup, "I was hoping to trouble you for some sugar. We _are_ neighbors now."

Haru hit her forehead with the palm of her hand as Baron moved to the pantry. He gave her an apologetic look as he passed her.

"What are you doing back, Miss Haru?" Kimiko asked innocently.

"Just wanted to give Baron some research I found on your kingdom," Haru said flatly and sat on the arm of Baron's chair where he sat after giving Kimiko her sugar. She smiled wide when the princess pouted about his seat choice from the couch.

* * *

Haru walked home slowly after her visit to the bureau. The sun was starting to sink behind the buildings and even though she knew she shouldn't be out on the streets after dark, she wanted to think to herself. A walk through town always helped her in that.

Baron never got the chance to tell her what he wanted to before Kimiko burst through the bureau doors singing his name. Kimiko stayed around and agreed with all the notes in her father's journal and corrected others that had changed between Haru's father's time and now. Baron looked over at Haru frequently through the research they were doing and she only nodded at him in return. Once Toto woke up just a little before sunset Haru took her bag and decided to go home for the night.

Baron offered her to stay for the night again, but Haru declined. She had more of her father's books to look through for some more information and it offered him time enough to think about the question he wanted to ask her. It looked like he hadn't planned it out as well as he had originally thought. And she knew him well enough to know that he liked to have a plan in mind before he jumped into anything head on. Although, some times she could remember him not even thinking before acting. Sometimes he just didn't have the opportunity for a 'planning time'. She could give him that tonight.

"Just what am I to do?" she asked herself as she turned the last corner into her neighborhood, "I know what I wanted him to ask me… but is that what he really wanted?"

She sighed again and looked at her feet as she made her way home. She needed to think on something else. Like the case at hand.

The description of the kingdom in her father's journal was just what Haru had remembered in her dream and she had to wonder if her father had been there before he had died. Or if he was there now. Others had stayed behind instead of going on to their next life, maybe he did as well. What if he knew that she was on the case and was trying to tell her in advance?

She shook her head at the thought.

Haru finally made it back home and walked into the front room and collapsed on one of the nearby chairs. Maybe she needed to her mind off of that subject as well. She turned her head to the still blank canvas that was in the corner of the room. Her sketchbook was next to it since she was flipping through it over and over trying to find her next painting before she went back to the bureau. She walked to her sketches and turned to the last page that still had the outline of two people dancing on a ballroom floor.

"Might as well dream," she sighed and put on an old apron over her clothes. She sketched out carefully on the canvas once her paints were ready and began to put the color of the ballroom on the canvas first.

After an hour of painting she was finally done with the preliminary background colors and was going to begin on the dancers when she heard a light tap on her back door. She looked at the clock and noticed that it wasn't too late in the evening, maybe Hiromi stopped by for a chat after another date with Tsuge. No one else that she knew would come to the back door instead of the front.

She shrugged off her apron as another knock was on the door, "I'm coming. Hold on just a second."

"Haru, it's me, open up as soon as you can," Baron's voice called through the door.

"Baron?!" she almost tripped out of the front room as she made her way to the back door. He never came out to see her at her home. She shrugged on a light jacket on her way and clicked the lock open on the door. She opened it and slipped on some of her slippers before she took a step outside and looked around. He wasn't by the door, "Baron?"

"I wanted to tell you something, remember?" he asked as his voice seemed further away and toward the side of the house where there were some large bushes that had been growing out of control.

"Why are you hiding?" she asked and closed the door behind her. She walked to the bushes to look for him, "No one can see you in the back yard. Besides, all my neighbors should still be at work until late tonight."

"That's good to know," a deeper voice said from behind her and she looked back at a shadow figure.

She fell back against the grass and looked up at the figure in fear, "Who are you?"

"Don't you recognize me, Haru?" he asked with a chuckle and changed his voice to that of Baron's, "I was just calling you."

Haru's eyes bulged and she quickly kicked at the shadow figure. Her foot went through him, but made his figure swirl in the night air. She rolled to her side and ran toward the front yard. She threw open the gate and began to run down the street with all that she had. She had to get a message to Muta than he could tell Baron. She could lead them away from the bureau until he would find a way to help her. He always does.

She looked over her shoulder and kept her wits about her as she passed by other people. All they saw was a girl out for a run, in a skirt…

'Great, I don't look crazy at all,' she thought to herself sarcastically and turned a corner through an alleyway to the Crossroads. As she turned she saw a swirl of ash in front of her and take form of the dark figure of a man. He caught her in his arms before she had time to stop herself.

"Nice to see you again, Haru," the shadow man chuckled.

"Let me go!" she struggled against the shadow as her hands passed through him, yet his hold on her only intensified.

"I think you need to calm down," he grunted and put a hand to her forehead. Her eyes rolled back into her head immediately and she fell limp in his arms, "About time."

He concentrated and a piece of his ash like body floated back the way she came and settled on the floor of her room. Baron's name was scribbled on the front of it.

The shadow man walked toward the shadows of the alleyway and looked at the unconscious girl in his arms, "Don't worry too badly, Haru. You will be back home as soon as the king gets his princess back and you can then live on as if it was nothing but a dream. We just needed the Baron's attention."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter V:**

Baron stretched out for the last time of the evening. It was his turn to rest for a bit in his window. Kimiko and Toto had just left the bureau discussing the kingdom she had left behind and one that he was about to face. Kimiko wanted to make it painfully clear to him that she had many suitors and young spirits vying for her hand. More than likely to make their afterlife easier being taken by the princess. She also made sure that he knew that she was not interested in them and had her heart set on another. She had loved and lost one when she was on earth, but her existence there was over and she had to accept it. For a moment he felt compassion for her, until she began to bat her eyes in his direction again.

He made sure his jacket was in place and made sure that the coat tails weren't tangled with his own. As he turned forward he felt his ear twitch and then something in his chest squeezed tightly as if something was wrong. He felt something shift and he didn't know what it was. Muta was out front with a paper once again and Toto was preening himself on his pedestal. The princess was safely in her new home in the sanctuary, so why did something seem horribly wrong?

"Haru," he whispered in a bit of shock. He walked out the front of the bureau and looked up at Toto, "Toto."

"I thought you were going to rest, Baron," he said in a bit of a mocking tone.

"I am, but may I ask a favor of you?" he looked up at his friend with a bit of a worried look on his face. One that Toto knew of well.

"Always a pleasure to play spy," he nodded his head toward his friend and flapped his wings a little to stretch out his muscles, "She would be at home, wouldn't she?"

"I would hope so," Baron nodded and paused before adding, "And if she sees you…"

The pause in Baron's voice made Toto's head tilt to the side in curiosity.

"…Please tell her that I miss her and I am looking forward to see her tomorrow and our talk."

"I will," Toto nodded again to his friend and took off into the night sky.

Muta came up to his friend's side, "I think you may need more rest than you think. You're becoming paranoid. Chicky is fine, she always is."

"I just like to err on the side of caution," Baron said and took a deep breath with a hand to his chest, trying to work out the tension he felt there, "But I believe you're right. It's time that I had a bit of a rest. I've missed dreaming the past couple of days. Goodnight, Muta."

"Goodnight Baron," he nodded to his friend, "I may go back to the Crossroads. I feel a little off as well."

"Glad to know I am not the only one," Baron nodded his head to his friend and closed the bureau doors before he placed himself in the window and fell into a peaceful dream.

* * *

Toto glided on the winds over the city toward Haru's home. He chuckled to himself on how protective that Baron had become of their young friend. She was more than capable of taking care of herself in normal situations, but that fact doesn't stop Baron from sending him out to check on her every once in a while. Thankfully, she hadn't caught him checking on her most of the time. Knowing Haru, she probably would have been annoyed by it after a while.

He found her house beneath him and swooped down toward the front window. He saw one of her lights on in the living room and looked in the window. He saw her paints scattered around what she had designated as her 'art area'. The blank canvas from a few nights ago was now covered with color and outlines of figures.

"My, she's been busy," he smiled and looked up and down the hallways as far as he could from the window, "Maybe she got a bit peckish."

He flew around the house and looked through the small window toward the other end of the home. He still didn't see Haru and tilted his head to the side. He tapped on the window to get her attention, but no one came to investigate.

"That's strange, she usually doesn't leave the lights on while she's out," he frowned and flew up to her bedroom window which was open. He knew this was definitely not like Haru. He hopped onto her dresser where he accidentally knocked over a picture frame of her and Hiromi. The glass broke in half and the frame broke open.

"She's going to get me for that one," he whispered and began to pick up a few pieces with his beak until he caught sight of another piece of paper on the ground. He hopped over to it and turned it over to find Baron's name written on the front of it. At first he thought it was from Haru, but as he looked at the handwriting, it was nothing like his friend's.

He nudged the note open and gasped. He grabbed it in his talons and flew straight for the window, "Got to tell Baron."

* * *

"Ow… why do they always drop me during re-entry?" Haru moaned and rubbed her head. Her eyes were still closed tightly as she tried to keep her head from spinning. She carefully sat back against what she assumed was a wall and opened her eyes carefully. There was no fog this time, only dark, stone walls and a nice warm looking bed in the corner next to an unlit fireplace. She looked behind her somewhat hoping that a giant Muta would be there this time as well, but no luck.

"Okay, maybe they didn't drop me, but it sure feels like it," she carefully pushed herself against the wall and then made her way over to the only window she could find. Outside there were the three towers and the little city from her nightmare, "The Kingdom Between Lives…"

"Very perceptive, Miss Haru," a deep voice said from the other side of the room where she noticed the only door was, "I see that vision I sent you wasn't misspent."

She turned to the voice and found the same face that she had been dreading ever since her nightmare. She bowed politely to the dark king although she was scared to take her eyes off of him, "Your majesty."

"Very perceptive, indeed," he chuckled darkly and the guards on the other side of the door closed the door behind him.

"What do you want with me?" she asked as he came toward her along the wall. She became guarded and made sure that she was awake enough to run if she had to. Run where was another problem she would have to face once she got to it.

"Nothing with you, per say," he waved his hand in the air and she noticed the ash dust that followed the movements, "I want my princess back. She has sought help from the Baron Gikkingen. It seems to get his attention; all we need to do is to drop your name."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Haru growled, "He wouldn't act against the trust that he has with his clients."

"So he will not come for you?" he asked and stopped in his place.

"I am more than certain that he will," Haru nodded and noticed that the king resumed his pacing, "But you have no idea how much trouble you are asking for. No one misses with the bureau and gets away with it."

"I have no intention of disbanding the bureau," he waved his hand again, "I only wish to hire them."

"That would be a conflict of interests against your daughter, now wouldn't it?"

He paused again only to laugh loudly, "My daughter?"

"The princess has already hired Baron to help her in sanctuary from this kingdom, unless he can reform this kingdom like he had with the Cat Kingdom."

"And that is what I need his help with. I want him to help me help my kingdom. That's why I sent you that vision."

"This is hardly the way to hire him…" she narrowed her eyes, "I definitely don't see Baron, much less the bureau, helping a king that throws people from towers."

"That was only to grab your attention, young woman."

"Wrong way to do it," she shook her head, "How exactly did you think this was going to get Baron to help you?"

"By breaking your spirit," he reached her and grabbed her chin in his fingers, "Is the only way that I see will break his. Thus, he will begin to 'die' and fall under any orders I give."

"I will not let you hurt him," she hissed and pushed his heavy arm away from her.

"You already have," he smiled and looked at her before clutching his fist. She gripped at her chest as a heavy feeling overwhelmed her. She fell to the floor as her heart felt like lead. She breathed heavy and the king released his fist.

"What have you done to me?" she asked from the floor.

"You are in my kingdom, Miss Haru," he said as if it explained a lot, "And as such are slowly becoming my subject. It's only been an hour and I already control your beating heart."

Haru's eyes bugged as she watched the king walk toward the door.

"I do hope he comes soon," the king laughed as he knocked on the door to be let out, "Otherwise you may die before your due time."

Haru watched helplessly as the door closed and then looked around the room frantically, "I have to get out of here before they get to Baron."

* * *

Hiromi sat in the new restaurant in the heart of the Crossroads and sighed as Tsuge ranted on about his latest win in the table tennis circuit. She nodded through most of the story, but when she noticed that he wasn't paying attention to her reactions as he was too caught up in his story she stopped pretending. She didn't realize that he was as into himself as Machida had been… and still is.

'I wonder if he would even know if I replaced myself with a dummy,' she thought to herself and began to wonder why she even thought that table tennis was so cool back in high school. Carefully she let her mind wonder outside the realm of Tsuge and cupped her face in her hands as her elbows supported them on the table, 'And here comes the district champion win story again.'

"I've told you about the district win, haven't I?" he asked and looked over at her for the first time in the last half hour. He waited for an answer this time and she nodded.

"Many times, hon," she said with an encouraging smile.

"It was such a good win," he sighed in a dream like manner and began the story anew.

'This is going to take another half hour,' she groaned in her mind. She looked out the window and looked toward the small tables that she and Haru would sit at and talk about everything under the sun. Well, almost anything. She still hadn't opened up about what had turned her around a little over a year ago. Hiromi still thought that it was a boy of some kind, but she had no way of proving it. She still trusted that her friend would tell her when she was ready to.

"And then I hit the shot from the side corner," Tsuge continued with his story, completely oblivious to the blonde's lack of enthusiasm.

'I know, hon,' she nodded her head, knowing better than to interrupt him in his favorite story.

Her eyes scanned the tables outside and saw a few shadows drift over the tables that her and friend would sit together. It almost seemed that clouds were covering the moonlight over the tables, but Hiromi looked up and noticed that there were no clouds in the sky. Suddenly there was a tugging at her heart and she reached for her phone that was in her hand bag. Something was wrong. More specifically, something was wrong with her best friend.

"Haru…" she whispered and clutched her phone as if it was going to send a message to her friend to call her and tell her that she was alright.

"Hey, Hiromi?" Tsuge held her hand that was left on the table, "Are you even listening?"

"Sorry, Tsuge," she shook her head, but that still didn't shake off the feeling that something was off with her best friend, "I need to go."

"Go?" he asked as he stood up when she did, "But we haven't even eaten yet."

"I know, I'm sorry," she shook her head and looked at the tables again when she saw that fat, white cat that Haru always held on her lap, "I have a bad feeling about Haru. I need to see if she's okay."

"Haru's a big girl, she could handle herself," he said and gripped her hand a little tighter, "Stay here and finish dinner with me."

Hiromi didn't even consider it, "There is something wrong and she needs help. Sorry, Tsuge. I got to go."

"I'm so tired of you not paying attention to our relationship, Hiromi."

"Me, not paying attention?" she pointed to her face and then quickly poked him in the chest, "I believe you are the one that doesn't even notice when I'm bored to tears about your table tennis. It was cool in high school, but grow up. We are in the real world, Tsuge… and my friend's in trouble. I'm going to find her and make sure she's okay with or without you."

"That's it, I'm out of here," he looked over his shoulder to call a waiter and when he looked back Hiromi was gone.

Muta sniffed at his usual chair and noticed that something was off about it. There was a different smell and something unsettled him about it. He sniffed at it again and then shook his head in an un-approving manner.

"You!"

He turned his head quickly and saw Haru's best friend, Hiromi, point at him and walk determinably at him.

She stopped a couple of feet from him, "Where's Haru?"

Muta laid his ears back against his head as he stared up at the girl, other wise unimpressed by her frown.

"Don't give me that look," she stomped her foot on the sidewalk, "Where is my best friend. Something's wrong… I can feel it."

Muta sat down calmly and licked at his paw as if to clean it.

"And don't act like an innocent cat either, fatso," she murmured and earned a glare from him, "I know you can understand me to a point and I know what ever is going on with Haru has to do with you. She never even noticed you before a year ago."

'Maybe I should just scare the girl a bit,' Muta thought to himself about ready to open his mouth a talk to the girl until a loud caw was heard over head. Both the girl and cat turned their eyes to the sky where a large, black crow was floating in the air.

"What is a crow doing this far inside town?" Hiromi thought to herself as she remembered only seeing crows around school and the housing complexes.

The crow cawed again and began to fly off. Immediately Muta looked at Hiromi, sniffed at her and then ran off in the same direction.

"Hey! Wait!" Hiromi took off after Muta and tripped a couple of times in her heels that she had worn for the date. After her fourth near tumble to the ground she threw them off of her feet and ran faster after Muta, "I'm not done talking to you yet!"


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thank you all for your kind words and reviews, I hope I still receive more with this addition. Happy reading!

**Chapter VI:**

'This girl doesn't know when to quit,' Muta grumbled in his head and began to take his well thought out urban labyrinth to throw the girl off of his tracks. He jumped on fences, over rooftops and under low ridges to throw her off. He looked behind him after ten minutes and was surprised to still see her there. She was athletic, he knew from all the stories that Haru would tell him about her and the team sports she still tries to keep up with despite her best friend usually sitting on the sidelines. She easily jumped over another wall in her pursuit of him.

'Better speed it up a notch,' he smirked and began to run and jump faster.

"Stupid cat!" Hiromi yelled after him as he rounded a corner and jumped onto another roof.

"The girl is good," Toto said to himself as he watched Muta lead the girl through the hoops after him. She was starting to fall further behind him which Toto was partially glad for. They didn't need anymore on lookers at the bureau. He had the chuckle at the thought of how tired Muta was going to be once he got to the bureau, "No wonder she and Haru are friends. They have the same determination and loyalty. Now, to get this to Baron."

'I'm losing her… finally,' Muta sighed and didn't hear her after him. He slowed down at the last turn and carefully trotted through the archway into the sanctuary. Toto landed on his pedestal in the middle and looked down at Muta.

"What was that about, birdbrain?" Muta shouted up at the bird.

"Something has happed with Haru," Toto said and no sooner had the words left his mouth that the bureau doors snapped opened and Baron stepped out. He looked at his feathered friend with wide eyes.

"What happened to her?" he asked as he didn't need Toto to repeat himself, "Is she-?"

Suddenly a loud crash interrupted their talk by the sanctuary entry arch. Hiromi crashed through the rest of the garbage cans that lined the alleyway and looked from side to side in search of Muta.

"Now where did that cat get to?" she hissed to herself and rubbed her elbow in irritation.

"Wow, she _is_ good," Toto said and watched the girl with a bit of fascination.

"Baron," Muta growled a little bit in annoyance, "It looks like we have another visitor."

"It looks like it," he took a deep breath as Hiromi's gaze drifted to the odd group when she heard their voices.

She looked over Muta who now stood on his back legs and Toto who was still gripping a piece of paper in his claw… and then to Baron at who she gasped. She pointed at him as she walked slowly into the sanctuary. She didn't shrink, much like Haru hadn't when she first found the bureau.

"You all can talk- and you…" she stammered and looked at all three and then focused on Baron once again.

"Miss Hiromi, I presume," Baron tipped his hat in a grand bow. He was eager to know what was wrong with Haru, but knew he would have to calm down her friend before that would happen, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Haru speaks of you often."

"It's you…" she pointed at him again which made the cat figure stand tall and cock his head to the side.

"You know me?" he asked and wondered if Haru had talked about him or the bureau to her friend.

"Where's Haru?!" she yelled and reached for Baron who jumped out of the way of her hands. She fell forward as she didn't expect Baron to be so fast. Her face hit the ground and she rolled over to stare Baron straight in the eyes, "Where is my best friend?"

"She is missing?" he asked and then narrowed his eyes at Toto and Muta.

"She's not home and I got Muta on my way back from visiting her empty house," Toto said and looked at Hiromi, "I was wondering how you knew your friend was missing."

"I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach," Hiromi held her stomach as if to elaborate, "I only get this feeling when she's in trouble."

Toto glided to the ground to drop the letter in front of Baron, "This was sitting on the bedroom floor with your name on it."

"Hm," Baron opened the paper and read it over. He frowned further and climbed on Toto's back, "No offense meant, but I need to see for myself, Toto."

"I don't blame you," he shook his head and flapped his wings.

"And what am I going to do?" Muta asked with his arms crossed.

"You are going to stay here and make sure that Kimiko stays as well," Baron said and shifted his eyes to Hiromi, "Miss Hiromi, I don't know exactly what happened to Haru, but I have my suspicions. I need to see her home to make sure. Will you meet me there?"

Hiromi didn't exactly like the situation, but she nodded her agreement.

"Can you find your way from where your entered the sanctuary?" Baron asked from Toto's back.

"I'm not sure where that is…" she admitted softly and looked around herself for the first time.

"Then follow us in the sky," he told her and patted Toto on the side of his neck, "Let's go, Toto."

"You got it," Toto nodded and took to the sky with Hiromi not far behind.

"You know who took her, Baron," Toto said over the wind once they were high enough away from Hiromi and made sure that she didn't loose sight of them, "I read that letter too. The king wants you to return the princess in exchange for Haru."

"Which you know she will not do on her own will," Baron reminded him, "And she came to us for help. I will not turn her back to a king like this."

"And what about Haru?" Toto asked.

"That is why I need to see the house, Toto," Baron frowned and focused on the town ahead, "I need to know if they- or Haru- left anything else behind for me to find. Something that may help bring her back. And you know I won't stop until I find a way to do so."

Toto landed on the mail box in front of Haru's home and waited for Hiromi to catch up to them. The young woman didn't take long before her bare feet were pounding down the sidewalk after them. When she reached them she leaned over just a little to catch her breath and looked at the huge crow with a cat figure on his back.

"You got some good speed," she said with a gulp of air.

"Thank you," Toto nodded, "So do you."

"Thanks," she nodded back and walked to Haru's door, "Now let's see what's going on."

"Haru?" she knocked at first in hope that the crow was wrong about Haru missing. With no answer she pouted and walked toward the side of the house, "We can use the back door."

She carefully made her way through the back yard and tried the back door which opened easily. She looked at the door handle in her hand with a bit of surprise. Haru never left anything open like that, even when she was home.

"I think that you find this as strange as we do," Baron said from behind her.

She nodded and saw that he had climbed off of Toto's back and walked behind her as she entered the house.

"I never saw Haru as one to leave doors unlocked," Baron said as they entered the small kitchen.

"She isn't," Hiromi shook her head and looked around quickly as she passed her friend's table still covered with unfinished quilts. She then looked in the corner of the living room where an unfinished painting was partially dry against the wall, "And that definitely isn't like her to leave off this early on a painting."

"Hm?" Baron looked over at the painting in the corner. Haru only brought a couple of her smaller paintings over to the bureau since it would be too much of a hassle to bring the large ones through the pathway to get there. Instead of some landscape painting he was expecting, he saw the grand ballroom of the Cat Kingdom with two figures barely taking shape.

Hiromi pointed to the figure of the male counterpart in the painting, "I'm pretty sure that is supposed to be you."

"Why would you say that?" he asked as he heard Toto snicker a little from another corner of the room where there were a few canvases finished.

"I think I know," he said and Baron looked back at his friend where there were a few portraits of himself staring back at him. He carefully looked at his likeness on the material and had to smile just a little. It was nice to know she thought of him highly enough to want to paint his portrait. There were only a handful of portraits while a few more were of him in action.

"She paints you a lot," Hiromi said from behind him. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest to rub her own arms, "That's how I recognized you. I thought that she had made you up and liked the way you looked on canvas."

Baron didn't answer her though he heard her. He saw a painting in the back that he had to duck another to see. It was his face on the body of a knight while there was a maiden he was reaching for. And her face was one that he knew well.

'_Baron, you know you are a knight in shining armor. At least you are to me_,' Haru told him once not too long ago. He furrowed his eyebrows and turned from the painting.

'And I will be again, Haru. I will save you.'

"Toto?" Baron asked as she turned back from paintings and to his friend who was now perched carefully on Hiromi's shoulder, "Where was it you said you found the letter?"

"In her bedroom," he answered softly and saw something in his friend's eyes he hadn't seen very often before. It was fear. He was scared for her, and it showed.

"Where's her room?" Baron looked at Hiromi.

"Upstairs," Hiromi pointed straight up to the ceiling.

"I will need to see it," he walked toward her and stopped at her feet, "If you will lead the way, Toto and I will follow."

"Haru's mom wouldn't want a crow flying around the house," Hiromi looked toward Toto, "Even if he is pretty cool."

"Thank you for the compliment," Toto nodded at her.

"Then what do you suggest?" Baron turned her attention back to himself.

"If you don't mind, I'll just carry you up the stairs," she turned to Toto, "Toto can fly up to her window from outside."

"Sounds like a plan," Toto nodded and flew out the open back door.

Hiromi shut the door behind him and held her hand out toward Baron, "Shall we?"

"Lead the way," he stepped to her hand. She lifted him up and awkwardly held him all the way up the stairs. As soon as she entered her best friend's room she put Baron down. He didn't move all that much since he knew she was still unsure about the whole 'living doll' circumstance.

"It looks as if there had been a scuffle in here," Baron looked around the messy room and took note of all the items on the floor.

"What are you talking about? Her room is always like this," Hiromi laughed and saw that Toto landed on the window seal, "I'm guessing you've never been here, Baron."

"Haru usually comes to visit us," Baron said a matter of factly. Baron noticed the plush cat on the bed and the color of its fur before he turned to his feathered friend, "Where did you find the letter specifically, Toto?"

Toto hopped from the window toward the center of the room, "Here… in plain sight."

"Of course," Baron came to the spot on the floor and saw a dark spot of ash. He picked up a little of it on his fingers and rubbed it before brushing it off with his other glove, "They wanted me to find it."

He sighed and looked around the immediate area and noticed the broken picture frame not to far away. It was of Haru and Hiromi during their graduation from high school not too long ago.

"Was this already broken?" Baron asked and looked at the picture under the glass.

"That was actually my fault," Toto waved a wing as if he was volunteering, "I think Haru's mother has a reason she doesn't want a crow flying around the house."

Hiromi giggled a little under her hand and looked at the frame under Baron's watch, "That was a cheap frame anyway. I can get her another one after we find her."

Baron ran his hand over Haru's face in the picture and then noticed another piece of paper behind the picture. He pulled on the paper and noticed that it was another picture. He looked at it closely and noticed that it was the one that she had taken the day after she began to shrink when she entered the sanctuary. She was standing with all three of her friends. Toto was on one side of the picture with a large smile, while Muta was on the other looking bored with Haru's arm around his neck pulling him in closer for the picture. In between Toto and Muta was Baron with a loose arm wrapped around Haru to help her pull Muta into the shot. She smiled beautifully with her friends showing that she was completely at ease and comfortable with her partners in crime.

"She was so happy that day," Baron remembered and stood up with the picture in both of his hands. He folded it and hooked it under his arm. Without even telling the other two what he was doing he turned from the bedroom and headed for the stairs. Toto followed the silent order and turned out the window to catch Baron on the first floor.

"Wait, what's next?" Hiromi watched Baron and then Toto disappear before she followed after Baron.

Baron hopped onto the railing on the stairs and began to walk down it carefully so he wouldn't slip. Hiromi followed after him slowly so not to rush him.

"Baron?" she asked and she saw him shift his eyes toward her, "Do you know what happened to her now?"

"Yes," he answered shortly and she saw his grip on the small cane of his tighten.

"Are you going to get her?" she asked almost hesitantly.

"Naturally," he said as if it was a well known fact, "I will always be there when she's in trouble."

"Do you love her?" Hiromi asked quietly when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I…" Baron paused and cleared his throat. He saw Toto fly in and settle on the back of a chair.

"We need to get going, Baron," Toto reminded him, "She doesn't have much time."

"I know," Baron nodded and quickly hopped off the stairs and over to his friend where he made himself comfortable on Toto's back.

Hiromi pulled on an extra pair of Haru's shoes about ready to follow them to their next destination.

Baron followed her movements and began to shake his head, "Miss Hiromi, this is dangerous."

"Exactly why I'm coming along," she said with a shrug, "That's my best friend they have. Who ever they are."

Baron took a deep sigh and looked the blond in the eyes, "You will follow us no matter what I say, won't you?"

"Wouldn't you if it concerned Haru?" she set her face in a determined line and stared Baron back down.

"You've made your point, but I still have not agreed to anything," he relented a little as Toto turned back toward the back door, "We will talk of our next steps at the bureau. Hope you can keep up on the way back to it."

"Nothing will slow me down," she cracked her neck a little to make sure she wasn't too stiff for another run.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII**:

Hiromi followed Toto and Baron back to the bureau with a little trouble. She couldn't follow Toto as well through the labyrinth as she had with Muta. She had to double back a couple of times and then catch up with Toto quickly. She wasn't going to let this lie. It was Haru they were talking about and she wanted to know the whole story about why she was taken.

Baron and Toto landed in the courtyard of the sanctuary a few moments before Hiromi busted through the alleyway once again. She stumbled into the courtyard and put a hand to her chest to catch her breath.

"I have to train just a little bit harder to keep up with you guys," she breathed out and put her hands on her hips as she breathed easier, "I don't know how Haru does it when she doesn't play sports with me or even train."

"She keeps up well enough," Baron nodded and rubbed the picture at his side before the double doors of the bureau opened.

"Baron! You're back," a girl rushed out of the bureau and flung her arms around Baron's waist, "When I saw that it was just Muta, I thought that the king had done something."

"He has," Baron struggled a little to get out of the young woman's arms.

Hiromi looked at the two of them and tried to figure out how the young woman was connected to the bureau. By the way that Baron tried to get out of her arms told Hiromi that she definitely wasn't a girlfriend. Or even a romantic interest.

"What happened? Muta isn't telling me anything," she asked and looked at Hiromi, "And who is she?"

"Princess Kimiko, this is Miss Hiromi," Baron gestured his hand to Hiromi and then back to Kimiko, "Miss Hiromi, this is Princess Kimiko of the Kingdom Between Lives."

"From where?" Hiromi looked a little confused.

"The place right after you kick the bucket," Muta said from the doorway to the bureau, "What are we doing, Baron?"

"I think we should all go inside," Baron nodded to his associates and walked directly into the bureau and to his chair. Muta settled back on the couch while Kimiko took the other chair to the side of Baron. Toto held back a little and looked at Hiromi.

"Are you going to be okay getting into the bureau?" he asked before he flew toward his perch.

"It will be tight, but I'll manage," she shrugged and walked toward the door before hunching down.

Toto flew through his window above the main room of the bureau and Hiromi shifted a little on her way in and then settled on the chest that Haru had once sat on when she came in for the first time. Hiromi looked around the room and nodded in silent approval.

"What is going on?" Kimiko asked and looked at the rest of the group.

Baron put the folded picture carefully to the side of his chair as if it was going to fall apart any moment. He then took the note out and slapped it down on the table in front of all the members, "They want to exchange Haru for you…"

"What?"

"…and we don't have much time to decide," Baron finished and looked at the princess with a small amount of pleading in his green eyes, "If she stays in any kingdom for too long, she will become an inhabitant."

"What do you mean?" Hiromi asked from the chest.

"Princess here is the heir to a spirit kingdom," Muta said over his shoulder to Hiromi, "If we can't get Haru out of there soon, she will die."

"What?!" Hiromi yelled and frowned.

"According to Haru's father's notes," Baron added and leaned forward in his chair and folded his hands in front of his mouth, "If he is correct, we have until the sundown after next."

"A little longer than our last Haru rescue," Muta muttered and earned a glare from Baron.

"I won't do it."

The group turned to the princess who had her hands gripped on the arms of the chair as if she had claws. She didn't look at anyone, but focused her eyes on the parchment on the table that held the note to Baron.

"What do you mean, you won't do it?" Hiromi yelled from the side of the room and would have stood up, but remembered that the ceiling was very low. She frowned at the sharply dressed young woman, "Isn't a life worth more than you running away? My friend will _die_! Don't you understand that?"

"That's what she gets for getting involved with other worlds," Kimiko shrugged as if it was of little matter. Hiromi looked like she was about to stand up and give her a piece of her mind, but was stopped as Toto put a wing in front of her face and whispered something to her. She nodded and settled back on the trunk with her arms crossed.

Baron gritted his teeth against the statement said so coldly from the princess and tried to refrain himself from doing something he would regret. Kimiko was a young woman and he would not hit her. But if she were male, she would have been on the ground with a black eye… in the very least.

* * *

Haru coughed as she pulled her jacket tighter around her. It was only a light jacket and she refused to put on the clothing that they had left for her on the bed. She didn't trust it, knowing how some kingdoms work she wouldn't be surprised if it was enchanted and made her do something she definitely didn't want to do.

She looked at the fireplace, 'You would think that they would at least start a fire for me if they expect me to stay in this room.'

"We don't light many fires here," a hand maid walked into the room with a tray of food in her hand. She noticed Haru's focused eyes on the empty fireplace and took a guess at what she was thinking, "Some inhabitants died in them."

"Makes sense," she nodded and hugged herself again. She looked at her hands and noticed that they were turning pale. She felt weaker and colder too. Side affects of the kingdom more than likely and she felt her heart begin to beat a little faster. She shook her head to clear her mind and rubbed her hands along her arms again, "Baron will come for me. I know he will, but I got to start thinking of a way to help myself."

"Starting to loose faith, huh?" the maid asked as she set down the tray to the side of the bed, "Everyone does at one point."

"Not me," Haru shook her head with a soft smile. She watched the guards that came into her room to check on her and then walk out again. She narrowed her eyes as if trying to remember something and then looked at the maid with a sweet smile, "Just talking and thinking about him makes me warmer."

"He's some kind of guy, this Baron of yours?" the maid asked and wiped some of her white hair from her forehead.

'Mine…' Haru thought and felt a slight blush come to her cheeks. She hugged her knees to her chest and looked at the floor with an embarrassed smile.

"He's something special, yeah."

* * *

Baron put his hat back on his head and shifted his shoulders a bit under his jacket to let it fall naturally behind him. He gripped his cane and walked towards the door. Kimiko watched after him in a bit of confusion and a tilt of the head. Muta and Toto looked at one another, both knowing what was coming. Toto went back outside to meet Baron while Hiromi took in all their reactions to the sudden movement of Baron.

As he passed her sitting on the trunk she got up as far as she could to follow him, "Where are you going?"

"To get Haru," he said simply, yet with determination. He exited the bureau and patted Toto on the side of his neck as he smiled at his friend for knowing him so well.

"But you have no one to trade for her," Hiromi ducked back through the doors of the bureau and squeezed her way back out to the front to stand up fully.

"Doesn't matter," Baron looked down at the ground and then up at Hiromi, "I'm going to go get her regardless."

"But you could be killed!" Kimiko yelled from the doorway beside Muta. She held her hands together in almost a pleading manner and looked at Baron with misty eyes, "He is ruthless, Baron. He will not hesitate if you get in his way. And by helping me you already have."

"I am no more alive than the day I was made…" Baron argued and looked at his friends and then at the princess, "…but I believe that my soul would die every moment knowing that Haru was killed or trapped in that place and I did nothing to stop it or get her back. I will not rest until she is back here… where she is safe."

"How are you even going to find the entrance to my kingdom?" she asked and folded her arms over her chest as to say that she wasn't going to tell him.

"With this," Baron held out a piece of paper that he had torn out of the book that Haru had brought from her attic, "I'm pretty sure it has a good heading."

"Then we will follow it well," Toto leaned down for Baron.

Baron hopped on Toto's back and leaned over to look him in the eyes, "Are you sure you want to do this, Toto? You know what is at stake."

"She's worth it, Baron," Toto nodded at him as Baron shifted to become more comfortable and made sure he had a good grip on his friend.

"Are you leaving me to baby-sit?" Muta asked with his arms crossed in front of him and a glance back at the princess who still didn't understand the loyalty that Baron was showing for the normal girl.

"I know you want to come too, Muta, but we can't leave the princess unprotected," Baron explained, "Especially after the king finds out we don't have her for the trade."

"Then if he is staying, I'm going," Hiromi knelt down on her knees in front of Baron and Toto to look them both in the eyes, "Shrink me, do what you got to, but we already established that I'm going."

Baron looked at her with an understanding sadness and Toto felt moved by her devotion to her best friend. Baron finally shook his head, "I had told you that I still hadn't agreed to anything. I think that it would be a safe step if you stayed here in the sanctuary."

"But she's my best friend, I can't just sit here!" Hiromi said with a frown.

"I will get her back," Baron promised and patted Toto on the side of his neck, "Let's go, Toto."

"Baron-" Hiromi tried again only to be cut off when Toto jumped into the sky. She stood up and cupped her hands around her mouth, "Baron!"

Muta watched the shadow of bird and his friend faded into the night and sighed sadly, "Get Chicky back safe, Baron. The kid's worth it."

Hiromi pouted a little ways away from the doorway and looked back at the princess who hadn't moved from her spot. Apparently she had never had close friends since she still looked so surprised at their efforts to get Haru back.

"I pity you," Hiromi said back at the princess.

"What?" Kimiko asked with a slit of the eyes.

Muta looked between the two females and backed a little inside the bureau to stay out of the way. Even though Hiromi was possibly five times as tall as the princess the princess didn't seem like she was going to back down from her. There would be a fight for sure, and he didn't need any fur of his to be flying when it did.

"You have no friends in your kingdom, do you?" Hiromi asked as the princess straightened her back as if to look more impressive.

"I have countless servants and courtiers," she answered.

"But no friends," Hiromi smiled a little in understanding, "No wonder you have no idea why we are doing this for Haru."

"What is so important about this girl to have him flying straight into death?"

"He loves her," Hiromi whispered and looked at Kimiko when she gasped in surprise. Hiromi chuckled, "At least, I think he does. Why else would go into hell and back to get someone unless you loved them?"

"You love her too, then?" Kimiko asked with a disgusted look on her face.

"I love her like a sister, fatso over there probably agrees," she pointed at Muta who nodded his head in agreement, "She's friendly, will go out of her way to help even complete strangers, dedication like no one I've ever seen and the greatest heart that has ever walked this earth. That's what he sees in her."

"So she is his sister too?" Kimiko asked to make sure.

"Oh no," Hiromi shook her head and looked back into the sky where she saw Baron and Toto disappear, "He's in love with her. I'm pretty sure of it. I just hope he realizes it before he dies for her. They both deserve a happy ending from the looks of it."

"They do," Muta nodded and stood next to Hiromi's legs before he looked up at her, "Now what about you, Chicky? What are you going to do?"

"Not much I really can do, is there?" Hiromi shrugged her shoulders and stared longingly at the moon as if it held her answers, "I would do anything to get Haru back safe and sound."

"You're not the only one," Muta muttered and turned back to the girl next to him and noticed that instead of being eye level with her knees he was now eye level with her waist.

"Chicky?" Muta asked.

"Why do you call me that?" she asked as she looked down and noticed that he was coming toward her, "Did you get bigger?"

He smirked at the similarities between the new girl and Haru, "No kiddo, you have gotten shorter."

"Miss Hiromi, I was unaware that you knew magic," Kimiko said from the doorway with a pretty pout on her face, "Much less how to use it being an average human and all."

"I didn't know I had any magic to use," Hiromi shrugged and found herself eye to eye with Muta. She blinked once more and then was looking up to stare the large cat in the eyes.

"It may not be your magic," Muta said and put a paw on her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" she asked and looked at her hands. She was thankful that her clothes shrunk with her. The last thing she needed was to be too small for her own clothing and having more than an awkward moment.

"The place we are at right now is different from the world you and Haru are from," he explained and sat in his chair in front of the bureau, "It's even different from the world that Princess is from."

"It's a world all its own?" Hiromi tilted her head a little confused.

Kimiko rolled her eyes and leaned against the side of the building to listen to the fat cat try to explain to the young woman.

"Yeah, mostly for creations like Baron and Birdbrain-"

"Creations?"

"… things made with so much love that they are given a soul," he sighed and continued with his previous explanation, "The sanctuary gives its own kind of magic. After her adventure with us, it gave Haru the ability to shrink when she came in. She didn't ask for it and we didn't ask for it to give her the ability either. Although I think Baron was happy for it."

Kimiko huffed against the building while Hiromi and Muta pointedly ignored her.

"You think that this place gave me that ability?" Hiromi rubbed her hands together as if she could feel a bit of the magic along her hands and arms.

"It may have given you more than that," Muta looked at her hands and tilted his head in surprise, "I never would have pegged you as a birdbrain."

"What?" she looked at her hands and saw that there was a light covering of short feathers over her skin, "What's happening to me?"

"You said you would do anything," Muta shrugged as if he wasn't too surprised, "I think the magic is giving you a chance just like it gave Haru and Baron a chance."

Hiromi smiled as her arms slowly shifted into wings and she shook them a little. The color was black just like Toto's feathers, but she saw a few white sections and noticed that she was turning into a magpie. Her clothing that she was so worried about a few moments before had disappeared and was replaced by more feathers. Her face lost its human features and grew a beak. She felt her heart flutter in a bit of fear before she tested her wings out a little and felt herself lift off the ground just a bit before falling back down, "This isn't permanent is it?"

"I wouldn't know," Muta shrugged again, "I don't touch the whole magic stuff."

"Some help you are, fatso," she said at him.

"Look, if you want to catch up to Baron and Toto, you better get going," Muta looked at her surprised look and chuckled warmly, "My job is to protect the princess here. I have no control over what you do or don't do. And my first guess is that you are going to go get your friend."

"You are smarter than you look," she giggled and tested her wings again, "Thanks, Muta."

"You know which way to go?" he asked and looked to the sky where he couldn't even see Baron's shadow.

"I not only know when she's in trouble, I have a good Haru tracking system built in," she laughed and quickly circled the sanctuary a little before getting her bearings on her flight abilities. She landed in front of Muta better than expected and tilted her head much like she had done in human form before a long run, "Besides, I have some magic to help me."

"You could not only die, but cease to exist," Kimiko said from the bureau wall with her arms crossed over her chest, "And yet you still want to go to your friend."

"When you have a best friend like Haru, you will understand," Hiromi said and looked at Muta, "Haru was right about you. You are a big softy."

"Get outta' here kid, before I eat your bird wings for a snack," Muta crossed his arms over his chest.

"You wouldn't even come close," she giggled back and kicked into the air, "Take care of the oblivious princess, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded and Hiromi took to the sky following the subtle change in the air around her. She knew if she followed that she would somehow be led to Haru.

Muta watched her with a smirk. She may be inexperienced, but Baron and Birdbrain needed all the help they could get. She had a fighting spirit, that was for sure. Besides, he wouldn't have been able to stop her with the magic backing her up anyways.

"She could die and you let her go."

"They could all die and you are going to sit on your back side. Because you are too afraid to stand up to your ruler…," he frowned at her as he got out of his chair and headed into the bureau, "If it wasn't my job to protect you, I would throw you off of a tower myself for getting my friends in a bad set up like this."

Kimiko's eyes followed his form into the bureau. He looked at the picture that Baron had put beside his chair and smiled just a little at the frozen moment in time of him and the other members of the bureau. He set it against the wall right next to the portrait of a white cat. Kimiko looked away at then at the sky again in deep thought and subtle amazement of friendship and loyalty.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII**:

'I haven't seen any other bird or anything else in the sky for quite a while,' Hiromi thought to herself, 'Not even a plane.'

She was flying through what seemed like fog banks and only saw flashes of light cut through every once in a while. At first she thought she was flying through a storm, but it was a very different kind of light. There was no charge to these lights like she would think would come from lightning. There was something to them, but they weren't frightening.

She swooped low out of the cloud cover and found a large tower directly ahead of her. She squawked and dodged to the side to avoid a collision. She sighed and landed none too gracefully on the roof of a strange looking building.

"That was a close one," she whispered to herself and looked up at the dark tower she nearly collided with, "Wonder what that light is at the top…"

Her tail feathers almost began to stand on end for no reason and she shivered as if she felt something watching her. She shook her head and looked over the area around her. She spotted the three other towers that surrounded the small looking homes and businesses. If not for the dark colors and grim out look of the town she could swear that she was in a medieval time version of the market district.

Her talons scrapped against the stones beneath her and she looked another direction for the castle, "Now, if I was a castle of spirits where would I be?"

"Right beneath you," a gravel like voice said from behind her. Her eyes widened and she looked back as a large sack covered her.

"Get off of me!" she yelled and scrapped her beak against the sack. Her beak only seemed to float through it even though the sack kept her in place. She fumed and frowned at the spiritual side of the predicament. Of course they would have sacks that would work against her and her new magic. She closed her eyes and focused as the feathers retreated back into her skin and her face turned back to what it once was.

"I think this is a great week for the kingdom," the voice talked to Hiromi as she was shifted around in the sack, "First the girl to lead the creation here and now another has come her willingly. More than likely to save your friend, huh?"

Hiromi didn't answer and only hoped that he could feel her glare through the sack. She hadn't seen much of her captor other than the dark ashy color of his skin.

"Didn't know this human had so many talented acquaintances," the guard thought, "Maybe we could use you as another bargaining chip if the creation doesn't pan out."

"You won't use me like that!" Hiromi shouted from the sack and punched at the sides as if that would do any better than her sharp beak had.

"I think we should let you have some company," the spirit said and opened a door as he threw Hiromi, sack and all, through the opening. She groaned to herself in the sack as she hit the floor and rubbed her arm that had hit the ground first. He chuckled a little and directed his voice to another portion of the room, "I have a little something for you."

"I want nothing that you or your king can give me," another voice said from the side of the room.

"Haru?!" Hiromi asked and began to struggle against the sack again.

"Hiromi?" Haru leapt off the bed despite her low energy and tore at the bag just as quickly. She was able to grip at the shadow-like bag and release her friend inside. She hugged her friend tightly and glared at the guard, "How did you bring her here? Why?"

"She did it all on her own," the guard shrugged and closed the door behind him.

Haru pulled back from Hiromi and looked at her in the eyes, "How…?"

"That is some side job you got with Muta," she chuckled nervously and watched as realization dawned over Haru, "Baron seems like a nice guy… er, cat."

"You've met Baron?"

"How else would I get into a whole 'nother world," Hiromi shook her head as if she was talking to Haru about boys or other nonsense, "They want to trade you for the princess."

"I know," Haru growled and stood up carefully and made it back to the bed where she sat down heavily.

"Baron is on his way," Hiromi said and lifted an eyebrow at her friend's tired actions, "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," she shook her head as another maid came into and out of the room carrying out her still full tray.

"You aren't eating," Hiromi noticed.

"In some worlds, if you eat their food, you are stuck in the world forever. I don't trust what they give me," Haru shook her head and looked at Hiromi, "How did you get here? I know that Baron would not bring you into immediate danger. Especially with you inexperienced with cases."

"You know him pretty well," Hiromi nodded with a slight smile and sat next to Haru as she held her friend's hand, "That place… his world…"

"The Sanctuary," Haru answered for her.

"Yeah, it gave me some kind of magic. At first it just shrunk me," Hiromi explained and held out a hand in front of Haru as she concentrated and had it shift to the end of her wing and then back into her hand, "And then something I could use to get to you."

"You're a shape shifter," Haru said with a gasp.

"I guess so," Hiromi shrugged, "I just said that I would do anything to get you back. I guess that encompasses the possibility of magic."

"You got to be careful what you say and wish in that place," Haru nodded and looked her friend in the eyes, "Does Baron know you are here at all?"

"I don't think so," she shook her head, "He and Toto left before the magic started to work on me. I thought that they would have made it here before me."

"If he knew you like I do, he would have locked you in a room with a magic lock," Haru giggled softly as if trying to avoid coughing, "You always have a knack of finding me when something is wrong."

"Yeah, well that's what best friends are for."

"If Baron and Toto are on their way it's only a matter of time," Haru tried to assure her best friend.

Hiromi squeezed her hands and felt how ice cold they were. She gasped a little and looked at her friend and saw something in her eyes that she never really saw unless she was day dreaming. She was thinking about Baron. Now it made so much sense. There never was just a boy… it was Baron.

"That was some secret boyfriend you kept from me, Haru," Hiromi rubbed her friend's hands in an attempt to get them warm again.

Haru took her hands from Hiromi and pulled them to her chest as she looked out the far window, "He's not my boyfriend."

"Yeah, not yet," Hiromi teased as if to lighten the mood, "I mean he is charming, dashing, ready to rescue you no matter the odds… and has pretty cool friends too. Who knew a talking crow could be so awesome."

"Hm," Haru got a calculating look on her face as she watched her best friend.

"Just saying that you have it bad for the cat man," Hiromi shrugged off her look, "You would like him to be more than a friend and I think he feels the same way. Just saying as your best friend, I approve."

"Right. Ok, Hiromi," Haru stood again as she heard shuffling against the floor outside her door. Haru trudged to the side of the door as a guard opened the door to look in on her. She frowned at him and leaned against the wall to the side of the door, "I'm still here, Goliath, and my answer is still no."

The guard grunted and turned back to the hallway outside of her room to resume his rounds. Haru shifted a little against the wall and took a deep breath to give herself more strength.

"What was that about?" Hiromi asked and came to her friend's side to help her up.

"They check in on me periodically to make sure I'm comfortable," Haru rolled her eyes in annoyance, "We got to find a way out of here. It's going to be a little harder for the bureau with two girls to rescue."

"So what do we do?" Hiromi asked and looked at the window again in hope to catch sight of Baron on Toto's back, "He's on his way. He will be here soon, right?"

"He's on his way to get us," Haru nodded and shifted her hands carefully and Hiromi caught sight of a large key ring in her hands. Haru giggled a little at the guard's absent mindedness, "But it wouldn't hurt to help ourselves out."

"You astound me sometimes," Hiromi smiled with her and took the keys as she tried them in the door, "What's the plan after we get out of this room?"

"We run like hell toward the center tower," Haru reasoned and looked at the tall tower not too far from her window. Hiromi knew that she almost flew right into it, so it wouldn't be too far of a run, but she was still cautious about her friend.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. I've saved up enough strength," Haru waved her friend off, "Hopefully Baron and Toto will see us in our mad dash and follow us, if not help us get through the light."

"Hopefully?" Hiromi asked as the door clicked and both girls took a peek outside. Haru and Hiromi slipped out of the room and made sure to lock it behind them. They carefully made it through the hallways and Haru looked back at Hiromi before heading toward the top of the castle.

"I shrunk when I came into another kingdom and you shrunk back at the sanctuary," Haru explained and pointed to the side wall just a few feet from them, "We just need to follow the outside wall of the castle to the stairs up the tower. Baron and Toto should be able to find us from there."

"So could the other baddies."

"Not if Baron finds us first," Haru jumped on the wall and helped Hiromi on it as well as she could, "And he will find us."

"You have a lot of faith in his abilities, don't you?"

"I have no doubt in his abilities," Haru reminded her friend and began to run along the wall. Despite the weakness she was showing in the room Haru kept a fast pace along the wall. Fast enough that even Hiromi was starting to have a hard time catching up with her.

Suddenly a large growl or scream erupted from the tower that the girls had just ran from.

"What the hell was that?" Hiromi asked her friend ahead of her.

"That was them finding us missing," Haru shouted back, "Run faster!"

"I can't run that much faster than this," Hiromi said as Haru took a tight hold of her hand and rushed across a small bridge at the top of the castle along the wall.

"And you are supposed to be the sporty one," Haru smiled slightly and then skidded to a stop as the large door in front of them busted open. Hiromi ran into her back and then looked over her shoulder where she saw a couple of the shadow guards staring back at them.

"Wrong door," Hiromi smiled nervously and then took Haru's hand back and ran the other way. Haru lagged behind just a little and then both girls stopped as the original guard, now without keys, came through the doorway, "Any other plans?"

"How quick can you change?" Haru asked as they were surrounded.

"Not quick enough with these guys," Hiromi shook her head. She screamed a little in surprise as a guard's head split in an ashy mess when he lunged at them.

Haru looked up into the sky and noticed a black crow circling above them, "Maybe just in time."

* * *

Baron looked down at the castle wall where he heard a loud and very feminine scream. He noticed two figures surrounded by a group of rather large and shadow like figures.

"It looks like Haru isn't the only one here, Baron," Toto said as he recognized the other girl being surrounded and the owner to the scream.

"How did she get here?" Baron muttered in mild annoyance with a little bit of an awe for the young woman's ingenuity. He was a little confused on how she got there and even more so for the fact that she seemed to have gotten there before they had.

"She told you she'd follow us one way or another," Toto reminded him with a smile.

"You may admire her for it, but she's going to get herself killed by ignoring the danger of heading into situations without thinking it over first."

"Just like someone else I know."

Baron ignored his friend's last comment and watched as the guards pushed at the girls. The guards herded them toward the large spire at the center of the castle, "Toto, follow them close, but make sure that the guards don't see us."

"Got it."

The two in the sky follow the small group into the spire and then landed on a small, open window that looked into what looked like a dark throne room. Inside the throne room were a few scattered clumps of guards and a very large looking man sitting on the dark, tall backed throne. A heavy crown sat on the man's brow and Baron only guessed that it was the king of the realm. To the king's right was a thin, wisp of a shadow that looked a lot like what Baron would think Natori would look like in a spiritual realm.

One of the guards ran over to the monarch and knelt down on a knee, "The mortal is on her way here."

"Good," the king nodded, "Then the creation is on his way too."

Baron frowned at them using Haru to get to him.

"What do we do if he does not have the princess?" the Natori look alike asked the king.

"Then we look to the other mortal females under our care," the king said back, "One of them should be able to take on the challenge. Even the mortal with the link to the creation would be a good candidate."

Baron's fur on his back bristled beneath his coat.

"Careful Baron," Toto warned, "They don't know we are here yet."

"Not yet," Baron checked the skies around them and looked back down on the throne room where Haru and Hiromi were led right to the king's feet.

"Miss Haru," the king greeted, "It seems as if you are still here."

"Not for the lack of trying, your majesty," Haru said with a small smile and then looked like she had almost lost her footing.

"She doesn't look so good, Baron," Toto looked on. Baron's eyes only narrowed and found that Haru seemed a lot paler in complexion.

"If your Baron was so loyal to you, he would have been here by now," the king said with a wave of his hand where the swirling ash turned into a chalice cup.

"I have no doubt that he is already here," she smiled again and leaned back into Hiromi who helped her friend stand upright.

"You are dying, Miss Haru," he said straight forward and took a sip from the chalice before he waved it away and made it disappear into the darkness of his large robes, "I know you have noticed it. You have started to turn pale and soon you will fade. You have a day left- at the most. Just tell me where the creation and my princess are and you will go free."

"She has a right to choose her fate, just as I have," Haru said with determination, "She chose to seek out help from the bureau and I will not fail in that trust."

Hiromi held her friend up, but Haru could tell that she was frightened by the way her hands shook against her.

Baron watched Haru stand up to the king and his heart was full of pride for the young woman. She was a true bureau member, but he needed to get her out of there and fast if the red tinge of anger on the king's cheeks were any indication. He shifted his eyes back to the sky and noticed the small shadows circling the high tower.

"Toto, I need some eyes in the sky. In this kingdom there are way too many guards that take to it. I am going to speak some sense into the king, but I need a distraction if he calls in the guards from above. Keep a sharp eye on the door, we will be running out as soon as I can get them out."

"On it, Baron," Toto stretched out his wings about ready to take to the sky, "Be careful; get the girls out of there."

"I will, you too," Baron looked at him with a sly smile, "Hiromi would be unhappy if you are hurt when she gets out of there."

"Hiromi?"

"You thought that I didn't notice?" Baron slid into the throne room from the window and laughed a little at Toto's glare at him.

"Muta's right… you are a show off," Toto grumbled and lifted into the sky to keep the shadow flyers off of Baron's back.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX:**

"You understand that if you do not meet my terms you will fade in my dungeon?" the king gritted his teeth against the girl's decision.

"I do," Haru nodded, "Though I will not stay there long as Baron will come for me."

"Take her to the dungeon!" the king waved his hand toward her and the guards began to drag both her and Hiromi to the darker rooms of the dungeon.

Hiromi struggled against the shadows around her and Haru as they were pushed toward the doors. Haru tried to struggle, but started herself into a coughing fit. Hiromi held on to her as she fell a little toward the ground.

"Come on, Haru," Hiromi pleaded with her, "You're going to make it."

"Get moving," a guard pushed at Hiromi.

"Give us a break," she frowned back at the guard and hung one of Haru's arms over her shoulder.

"I said get moving," the guard reached out toward the two girls. Suddenly his arms disappeared in a swirl of ash as a wooden cane slashed downward. He stepped back a little in confusion and looked back where a man with a feline's head and tail blocked his way to the two girls.

"I believe the lady made a request to keep your hands off," Baron said and tapped his cane against his shoulder lightly. He looked at the other guard on the other side of the girls and he stepped back without another word.

"Baron," Haru smiled and slipped from Hiromi's arms toward Baron. Baron caught her on the way down and her arms wound around his neck. She looked up at him and gave him her best smile which he returned fully.

"Hello Haru," he chuckled slightly and pecked the top of her head as he hugged her closer.

"I knew it," she snuggled against his coat and red vest.

Baron held her from him hesitantly and looked her in the eyes. She was weak and she needed to get out of there now. He wouldn't forgive himself if she perished under his watch, "You need to get out of here."

"Then let's go," she said as if it was the only natural choice.

"I have sense to talk into the king here," Baron shifted his eyes to motion toward the monarch behind them, "You need to get home. I will meet you at the bureau."

"I will not leave without you, Baron," Haru shook her head.

"I am not giving you a choice," he looked over Haru's head at Hiromi. He gently placed Haru next to Hiromi again, "Take Haru out the front. Toto will help from there."

"What about you?" Hiromi asked as she felt Haru try to struggle.

"I know how to handle myself," he nodded and looked at Haru once again, "Now get Toto."

"No one is leaving!" the king bellowed from his throne, "Seize them!"

The two guards that had begun to take the girls to the dungeon joined the ranks of the other guards around the group of three. They looked around them as the door locked closed and the windows were all covered with a thick looking mist.

Baron stood in front of the girls and watched the guard's movements toward them and around the room. He held his cane in front of him much like what he had in the labyrinth during the cat kingdom adventure. Haru grinned slightly from the memory and suddenly gained strength to stand on her own. She stepped away slightly from Hiromi and stood next to Baron who looked at her with some surprise. Hiromi pulled at her sleeves slightly if nothing else to keep a hold on her friend.

"You must be that nosey cat figurine I've been hearing about," the king said slowly as his guards stayed in position around the room.

"That I am," Baron stood straight noticing the guards were not going to move. Baron removed his hat and bowed to the monarch with a wave of his hat, "Baron Humbert von Gikkingen."

"Where is my princess?" the king asked as the cat stood straight again and placed his hat back on his head securely.

"Safe," Baron answered shortly, "That's all you need to know."

"I wanted you to bring her back, otherwise Miss Haru is staying in my care."

Haru narrowed her eyes along with Baron who had to stop himself from growling at the monarch.

"I believe that you are mistaken," Baron said carefully and put a reassuring hand on Haru's shoulder, "You haven't given her care at all. You are killing her and I will not allow that to happen. Especially not to Haru."

Haru smiled appreciatively at Baron for his comment.

The king smirked to himself and waved his hand at the small group. Suddenly Haru broke apart from her two friends and right out from under Baron's gentle hand.

"Haru!" Baron lunged out for her, but missed her as she flew by.

"No, Haru," Hiromi tried to move forward, but was stopped by two guards who held her. Two others stepped forward and brought Baron to his feet and held him in place.

Haru stopped to the side of the king in midair and struggled to breath against his harsh grip on her. The king chuckled in his small victory and turned his hand which made poor Haru turn in the air. He released his grip on her just enough to where she could breathe somewhat easily.

He looked over at Baron with a smug smirk, "She's been in my world long enough where I can hold her completely under my power. I can even make her stop breathing if I so choose. Observe."

Haru's eyes widened as her lungs stopped brining in the oxygen she needed. Her face began to take on a tinge of blue as well as her lips.

"Haru!" Hiromi screamed from Baron the two guards who held her. She tried to fight against him, but found herself fighting against smoke.

"What do you ask of me?" Baron asked with his eyes on Haru as the king let her breathe again. Haru gasped for breath and began to fall into a normal breathing pattern again.

"My princess, creation," the king said simply.

"She isn't mine to give."

Haru screamed out as the king clutched his hand and electricity flowed through her body. She convulsed in the air and more color drained from her face.

"Stop!" Hiromi screamed out as the king did stop the flow of electricity and Haru groaned in the pain she was still in. Hiromi turned from her friend to Baron next to her who she was expecting to do something more. Then she noticed something along the side of his muzzle. There was a darker streak of fur which she noticed was wet. He was crying… She looked down to his cane which was shaking in one of his hands in fury and frustration.

"My princess, doll," the king snarled.

"If I can't convince her to return?" Baron growled.

Light flashed from within Haru and she screamed again.

"Stop!" Baron tried to step forward with a hand reaching out toward Haru despite the guard's hold on him, "Please, your majesty!"

The light stopped and Haru strained to open her eyes. She looked at her best friend and Baron, "Don't do it, Baron… I'm not worth it."

"Don't you ever say that, Haru," he said in a strong voice despite the growing streaks of tears that were visible only to Hiromi from under his top hat, "You are and were always worth it. Don't stop believing in yourself."

Haru smiled despite her weakness and the remaining pain from the shocks, "I never have… not in me… or you."

"This is unbelievingly touching," the monarch yawned and grabbed Haru's face in between two of his fingers as she still hung in the air, "Look at her, doll."

Baron did so and looked directly into her eyes.

"She has less than a day, maybe even less now because of you hesitation," the king chided and threw her face from him. Her head snapped to the side from the force and then rolled forward again. She looked up at Baron and connected with his green eyes.

The king rolled his eyes and clenched his fist to crush the air from her. Baron shut his eyes tight to fight the duty of the bureau against the duty that screamed from his heart.

"You do love her," Hiromi said softly from behind him.

Baron looked back at the girl from over his shoulder, "Yes… I do."

"Then it should be an easy decision."

"Not when the life they are asking for isn't yours," he shook his head, "I would gladly lay my life down for her. In a heartbeat. But I can't give someone's life that isn't mine."

King raised his hand as if to inflict more pain on Haru. Baron caught the movement and in concentration of strength and movement he broke free of one of the guards and threw his cane through the air. The cane embedded itself in the throne just to the side of the king's head. The king slowly shifted his head toward the creation that now shrugged off the other guard that held him.

Baron stepped forward, "I challenge you to a duel."

"You cannot be serious," the king sighed and took the cane from the throne back as if it was a stick from a tree. He threw it back at the feet of Baron.

Baron quickly took off his jacket and hat and tossed them back toward Hiromi. Her guards had seemed it fit to release her after Baron had broken through the hold his hand on him. She held the articles of clothing and looked from Haru to Baron.

"I win, you release both girls," Baron said as he buttoned up his sleeves.

"And if I win?" the king said in a bored tone.

"You get what no one else has ever claimed…" Baron paused and then looked quickly to Haru and then to the king again, "… my soul."

"Baron, no," Haru whispered.

"As king and monarch of this kingdom, you have to honor the challenge," Baron pointed at the king.

"I accept," he nodded and dropped Haru to the floor and from his power.

Hiromi ran to her fallen friend and put Baron's hat and jacket to the side as she held her friend against her. She dragged Haru against her and held her up in a sitting position against her chest.

"What is he doing?" Haru whispered through her labored breathing.

"Trying to save us both," Hiromi reminded her.

Haru slowly crawled her hand out to the Baron's jacket nearby. She clutched it as tight as she could and drug it back to her chest. Hiromi sighed at the movement and looked at the windows that surrounded the large throne room. She saw the shift of something large and black by one of the windows and thought that it was another shadow when it stopped in the next window over and saw that it was Toto. He pecked at the window and then circled to the next one trying to find an entrance into the throne room where they all were.

The king swirled his hand in the air and made a long blade appear from the ash. Baron turned to his side where a shadow figure that had looked like it was some kind of animal at one point carried a long sword in his mouth. It dropped the blade near Baron and then scurried off.

"Thank you," Baron said and leaned down to grip the blade.

"These are special swords, creation," the king announced, "They will even bite through my skin. If you fall here, you will be mine."

"It was the agreement," Baron nodded and positioned himself to start the duel with the blade raised above his head.

"Are you prepared?" the king held his blade much in the same fashion.

Baron only nodded and the duel began.

The king lunged forward first and took a swipe at Baron who leaned to the side and jumped out of the way of the blade. Baron slashed his blade back at the king who dodged it in relative ease. It seemed that through the duel the king stayed solid had both given and received hits from and to Baron. Swords clashed and bit into skin and fur a few times over, but it looked like very little blood was drawn. Although, many wouldn't think to find blood in a duel between a living wooden doll and a king made of ash and shadows.

During a flip over the monarch, Baron's leg was caught by the king and Baron was thrown to the other side of the dueling area. Baron landed not too far from Haru and Hiromi who were watching the duel closely. Hiromi squinted when he landed, but Haru only gripped his jacket tighter and silently begged him to look at her. As if he heard her command he looked up at her face.

"Get up, Baron," she whispered so low it was as if her voice didn't even reach her words, "Don't give up."

Her eyes suddenly shifted to a figure above him and he rolled out of the way before the large sword of the king landed on him. Baron grabbed his sword again and turned back to the king. He kicked the king swiftly to the ground and held the sword to the king's throat. His foot securely over the king's chest and the point of the sword at the throat his eyes bored deep into that of the shadow king.

"I win. Release her."

The king's hand dropped the sword and the metal meeting stone echoed through the throne room. The doors unlocked and the windows lost the dark shadows that once covered them, "She's yours."

Baron tossed his sword to the side and ran directly over to Haru. Hiromi carefully and almost dutifully handed her friend over to Baron. He cradled Haru's top half in his arms, swiped a piece of hair from her face and he looked down into her eyes, "How do you feel?"

"Drained," she said truthfully and then hit him in the shoulder as hard as she could. Truth told it wasn't hard at all and Baron even chuckled a little at the attempt, "And mad at you. Don't ever do that on my behalf again."

"I can't make that promise," he shook his head and hugged her tightly to himself to make sure she was real, "Because I will do it every time to save you."

Haru looked confused and leaned into him as he arranged her in his arms and stood up. He held her bridal style much like he had while climbing the cat kingdom tower.

"You don't have to," she said with a slight blush at his actions with her, "I don't understand why you would want to."

"It's because I love you, you silly woman," he chuckled good naturedly and looked down at her in his arms to make sure she heard him. He quickly placed a small kiss to her forehead and looked at Hiromi who had gathered his jacket and hat in her arms again.

"Baron…" Haru smiled with a bit of wonder and made him look back down at her. She almost couldn't contain her joy when she looked behind them, "Baron! Look out!"

The king charged at them both with a sword in hand knowing very well that baron could not protect himself with Haru in his arms. As Hiromi screamed, Baron turned from the king with his body over Haru's in a vain attempt to keep her from any more harm. Both Haru and Baron squeezed their eyes shut to shut out the impending slice of the sword, but after a moment and the sword didn't come down they opened their eyes again. They looked back at the king who was struggling to release the sword from its position in the air.

"What trickery is this?" he growled and pulled at the stationary sword.

"No trickery here," a voice called from the now opened doors to the throne room.

"It's Kimiko," Hiromi said with a bit of surprise. In the doorway Kimiko held her hand toward the sword that was stuck in the air. Her hand shimmered with a dark silver mist as her magic focused on the object.

From behind her Toto swooped into the throne room and straight over to his friends. He landed next to Hiromi and looked her over quickly before looking at Baron and Haru.

"How did the princess get here?" Baron asked Toto who shrugged his wings. Baron looked at the princess, "I thought that Muta was watching her."

"He was when I left," Hiromi offered and watched as another form came through the doorway and set themselves next to the princess.

Muta huffed and bent forward a little to catch his breath. He looked at the princess and put a heavy paw on her shoulder which she didn't really seem to notice, "This little Chicky has got some speed…"

"I think all of this has gone on long enough," the king slashed his hand in the air and the princess stepped back into Muta's gut and dropped her control over the sword. The king grabbed the sword from the floor and rushed at the group of four.

"Enough!" Kimiko pushed off of Muta and pushed both of her hands toward the ruler and picked him up into the air, much like what he had done with Haru and made him drop the sword.

"Wh-what are you doing?" the king stammered as he floated above the group he wanted to dismantle not but a moment before. He flashed a bit of his magic against hers, but he seemed to lose a bit of spark each time he tried as if she was draining his power, "How is this possible?"

"Just as the Cat Kingdom, I believe that we have a king who has over stayed his kingship," Kimiko said as she approached the floating monarch and stopped just below him, "As the crowned princess, I now take command over this kingdom."


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter X**:

"You ran away," the king said with a frown and gripped at his crown, "You gave up your right!"

"As soon as you asked for me back, my right was restored. And I am taking my right now," she pointed one finger and the crown popped off of the king's head without much effort. The crown floated over them both before she focused on the king again, "You don't want me back now only because you are weaker since your battle with Baron. Denounce your title without a fight. It is my turn to guard the gates."

"Never!" he flailed and broke her power over him and fell to the ground. The blast of magic made the princess fall back just a few steps and blew against the bureau group. Baron covered Haru as Toto surrounded Hiromi with his wings and Muta tried to cover at least his face with his large arms.

"Give it up, you old spirit," Kimiko laughed a little as she regained her footing, "You are done. Fight with me and you will disappear."

"You ungrateful, little blimp of a soul!" the king sneered and charged up some magic in his right fist, "I should have never chosen you. There were others more deserving."

"There are none more deserving than me," Kimiko growled deep in her throat, "I was chosen for a reason. And it wasn't by a fool like you."

"You will not take my crown!" he threw the ball of dark magic at the young woman, which waved her hand in front of herself and the magic flew off to the side ten feet from the group that was there to help her.

"Doesn't seem like Chicky really needed all that much help from us," Muta muttered and brushed off the debris that fell on his fur.

"It doesn't, no," Haru grumbled and looked at the fight and magic flying from over Baron's shoulder, "Then why did she come for our help?"

"That is the question," Baron rubbed Haru's arm and tried to stand up slowly, "It looks like it is a fight between the two of them now. Let's get you home."

"Do you have any idea what you are doing?!" the king panted and noticed that he had began to fade from the fight. He was losing and he knew it. He threw the last of his magic at Kimiko who bounced it off of herself again.

"Of course I do," Kimko laughed loudly as if everything had gone to a plan that was until now unknown, "I am taking over. I just needed someone to weaken you first…"

Kimiko looked over at the group who had begun to crawl against the wall to get around the fight and to the door.

"Baron, where do you and your friends going? I haven't thanked you yet."

"You used us?" Haru asked from Baron's arms.

"Of course I did, you silly human girl," Kimiko laughed into her hand and waved the other hand at the king who spun weakly in the air. She made the king stop in mid air and locked eyes with him, "He had no blood relation to me, he's just stubborn. That's why he wanted me back; no one has taken anything from him before. I knew that Baron would at least weaken him, and then I could take over. It's my turn at the gates of heaven and hell."

"But you said you were his daughter," Toto said in a confused question.

"I don't think I ever did said that…" she thought to herself as if really trying to find a time that she had proclaimed herself the daughter of the spirit hanging the air above her. She quickly shook her head after a moment and shrugged, "He picked me when he could have picked any other soul out there. I stood out because I have a history with Baron."

"You do?" Baron asked with a tilt of his head.

"He saw you as a possible threat in the future and wanted you on his side. At first I refused because I didn't want to hurt the one that I was made for…" she walked closer to Baron and looked into his eyes, "Think about it, Baron."

Baron held Haru away from the approaching young woman. He looked back into her blue eyes and found something familiar, something from so long ago, "… Louise?"

"I was wondering why it was taking you so long," she said with a breath of relief and looked down at Haru in his arms, "Maybe you were a little distracted."

"What are you doing?" he asked with worry.

"Taking everything coming to me," she smirked and stepped away from him.

"He wasn't an evil king, was he?" Hiromi asked still from behind Toto's wings.

"Not really, just a little to rushed to find the right heir. And went along finding help the wrong way," Louise, formerly Kimiko, lowered the fading king, "Are you ready?"

"You will not stay on your throne long, you treacherous leech," the king whispered.

"That's what you think," she waved her hand and the king disappeared in a rush of wind and ash. The crown that was just hanging in the air suddenly shed some gold and became a dainty crown that finally settled on the new queen's head.

"So first point of business is sending a certain bureau back to the sanctuary," she wiped her hands against one another and looked at group that was only feet away from the throne room doors.

"You aren't going to stop us from going home?" Haru asked and looked between her and Baron.

"You are partially right," she tilted her head with a smile which made her all that more cat like. She narrowed her eyes at Baron, "You stay, dear."

"Pardon," Baron narrowed his eyes in return.

"This kingdom and you were all I really wanted. The others aren't strong enough without you anyway, so I don't have to worry about them coming for you," she stepped closer and Haru hugged her arms tighter around Baron, which wasn't much in her weak state, but Baron felt it. They both saw the jaw tighten beneath Louise's jaw line when she nodded at a few of the guards, "We have a lot of catching up to do, love."

"Baron!" Haru was immediately grabbed from his arms by a couple of the guards while the others separated the rest of the bureau from Baron. Baron rushed at the guards that grabbed Haru and was held back by an invisible force.

"Get your ashy hands off of him!" Haru fought against the guards in strength that she was sure she had already lost.

"What do you think you are going to be able to do to me?" Louise asked and made the invisible force push Baron closer to her.

"Anything and everything I can," Haru growled and felt something from deep in her chest pound against her rib cage.

"You can't do much if you are dead, Miss Yoshioka," she growled back at the girl who could barely stand on her feet. One of her hands behind her back was starting to glow in a small portion of dark magic, "If you stay here any longer you will die with no help from me."

"I won't leave without him!" Haru yelled and fell forward.

"I will stay if you send her now," Baron said quickly before the magic in the queen's hand could materialize fully.

"You what?" she whipped her head to him.

"I will stay if you get her home safely."

Haru stepped forward and was caught by Muta before she fell. Baron twitched in the thought that he was the one that was supposed to be the one to catch her, "Don't you do it, Baron."

"Every time, remember?" he reminded her and turned away from her and toward the new embodiment of Louise.

"You do this and I will never forgive you!" Haru yelled at him and made him stop in his tracks. No one but the new queen could see the change in his eyes at the exclamation from the small girl. He was so sure that he was doing the right thing, but at her yell he suddenly looked so defeated. So devastated. She never saw him like that, even when he was alive and she an empty shell.

"And if I don't, I will never forgive myself. You will never die on my watch if I have anything to say about it," Baron took a deep breath and closed his eyes against the pain of stepping away from Haru for the first time since he met her. He paused only slightly when he reached the new queen, "…send her away, Louise."

"But you promised!" Haru yelled as Muta held her up. Toto and Hiromi watched their best friends for some kind of reaction from either side. Haru suddenly fell back against Muta with her energy waning, "You always keep your promises."

"He made his decision," Louise smiled in victory and waved her hand at the group, "Goodbye, human."

Baron lifted his head only to watch his last moment with Haru fade away with her and the rest of the bureau.

"They are back in Japan," Louise looked at Baron and then glanced at the side wall where a sitting room opened up. She walked over to a high backed chair and sat down and motioned toward another chair with her eyes, "Please sit. I believe that you have many questions for me."

"Indeed," he watched as a thin, smoky spirit set down a tea set between the two of them, "I think I will start with your new identity. Where did you get Kimiko from?"

"I always adored Japanese, just like my last mistress," she shrugged and poured a cup of tea into her cup before bringing it to her lips.

"What happened to the real Louise?" Baron looked at the tea pot and cups and decided not to partake of the warm liquid at the moment.

"She died as all humans do and buried me with her," she sipped again and talked about her old owner as if she was a trivial matter, "My soul began to fade while I was in the grave with her."

"A soul?" Baron took off his hat and sat it on the back of his chair, "Did you have one to begin with?"

"That hurts, dear one," she put a hand to her chest over where her heart should have been. She shook her head when she knew she wasn't going to get a response out of him, "No, actually the artisan that created us didn't love me enough to give me a soul, but _she_ did. Dear Louise loved me as she had loved her Japanese love. Thus, it gave me a soul. I remembered you then and what I was made for, but I couldn't reunite with you. My soul quickly died with her and my new soul came to this kingdom. I took a new form."

"I see that," Baron looked away and to his surroundings instead.

She stood up and twirled a little with her dress furling out to the side, "How do you like it?"

"I don't," he said simply, "It has changed you."

"You never knew me," she stopped in her spin, "I was never alive before Louise picked me up- before the war started."

Baron stopped and thought about it before he nodded, "You are right. The you that I knew was a personality that I invented in my head. I never knew you once you received a soul."

"Unlike your Haru," she nearly spat as she sat back down in her throne like chair, "You will never see her again."

"You talk as if you are so sure," Baron said and clasped his hands in front of his mouth as if in thought.

"You can stop trying to think your way out of this one, love," she said with a form of assurance, "She's a human."

"I know that."

"She will die."

"We all do."

"You won't," she locked eyes with him.

"Then you weren't supposed to," he said back.

"And yet I did," she took a deep breath, "I found that you don't die because you have life with a brain and lungs and a real beating heart…"

_"Your heartbeat… is so gentle."_

Baron had to shake his head to make Haru's voice leave his mind.

"… I found that as long as you have a soul; it can die. You can die."

"You just said that I won't die and I know I have a soul."

"You won't die like her," she shook her head, "Not with her. She will die and return here once more and her body will dissolve into the ground. And you will live on. How long? A few years, a few centuries? You never know how long your soul will live on until it finally dissolves as well. At least here, you are guaranteed immortality with me."

"What use is it to be immortal if you don't have the one you love at your side?" Baron hummed behind his gloves, "I would rather live a 'life' out on the earth, then to stay here in purgatory."

"You mean with her?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes, with her," he stood from the chair and looked down at her, "I know that it seems impossible. I know that it may never come to pass- especially since I gave my word to stay, but I love her. And I always will."

"You called this purgatory," Louise said carefully and took another sip of tea before she set it down on a saucer, "If you don't take what you just said back, I can make this Hell."

"I will never take that back," he growled, "I love her. I found that out. And I will never speak against it."

"Then Hell it is, love," she sighed and the sitting room disappeared from around them. Black ash swirled around Baron and engulfed him, but in the process he didn't even blink. He was lifted in the air and his hands bound to one another and hung from an invisible ceiling. He kept his eyes on Louise and his ears laid back.

"You know I will never do as you say," Baron growled between his teeth.

"Ah, love, always the strong one. Always the hero," she made a wisp of her hand and made a long, strong looking belt like item at which she promptly hit Baron across the face. She tapped her foot against the stone beneath them, "All you need to say is that you love me and not that simplistic human girl."

"I will never-"

A loud slap of belt and fur covered flesh resounded around the room once again.

"Try that again, Baron."

"I… I …" he looked her in the eye with his jaw a little slack from the pain. He clenched his jaw together again and found his determination, "I can't believe that I once thought that I loved you."

"You will love me again."

"Never…" he muttered as the belt hit his across the back and split his crisp, white suit. He cringed and shut his eyes before he opened them again with a slight smile in determination, "Never."

"Why won't you break?!" she screamed and went to strike him again.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI**:

Hiromi held Haru against her in Haru's home in Japan. Haru's tears of frustration and heartbreak flowed silently down her face. Once in a while a hiccup is heard from the brunette, but her blond friend would cover it with a comforting shush or brush of her hair. Muta was curled on the couch next to Haru's leg where Haru's hand ran over his fur despite her tears. Toto perched himself on the corner of the couch next to Hiromi's shoulder and close enough to give Haru a tissue from the box behind them. They hadn't been back to Japan for more than fifteen minutes and they all seemed hopeless.

"It's going to be okay," Hiromi said in a sad tone to Haru as if she barely believed it herself. Haru blinked through her blurry eyesight and focused on the few paintings in her line of sight. She focused on a portrait of her favorite subject and the way he looked so comfortable, so gentle, so… Baron.

"We got to get him out of there," Haru said and wiped her hand over her eyes. In that moment she knew she had to stop being sorry for herself and find a way to beat Louise at her own game, "And away from her."

"And how do we do that, Chicky?" Muta asked from beside her leg.

"I…" she hesitated and looked at her hands, "…don't know yet."

Haru leaned forward to get off of the couch when her coughing began to become hectic and her whole body faded in front of the group.

"What's happening to you?" Hiromi panicked and put a hand to Haru's back to make sure a part of her was still solid. She took a slight breath of relief when her hand didn't pass through her friend.

"It's the affects of the kingdom…" Haru said as she looked at her hands as they faded in and out in front of her, "I am still dying. I took too long."

"What do we do?" Hiromi tried to put a hand in hers this time and gasped when her hand passed through her friend's.

Haru watched Hiromi trying to grasp her fading hands and turned to Toto who looked on Haru with a sadness locked in his eyes. Muta butted his head against Haru's elbow opposite from Hiromi and let out a growl as if telling her not to give up. Haru thought hard and fast. There had to be a way to stop from fading away and a way to get to Baron. She looked over the table tops around her and found a small picture of her mother and her father right after they just met; one of the only pictures that she had of him.

'Father,' she thought to herself and suddenly sat up straight in her seat, "I think I have a way."

"What?" Hiromi helped her friend up.

"I need to get to the attic," she said and turned to Toto, "Meet us up there. It would be quicker if you went before us and opened a few of the books. The window should still be cracked since I was last up there, along with most of the books on the floor."

"Okay," Toto nodded and hopped to the window that was opened down stairs and flew up to the next level.

"What are you thinking?" Hiromi asked as she helped Haru up the stairs. Muta followed behind them and gasped as he reached the top of the stairs.

"I never talk about my father, do I?" Haru asked as she tried to reach for the knob for the attic, but her hands kept passing through it. Hiromi reached for her and pulled down the stairs that led to the attic.

"Not much, no," Hiromi shook her head, "Why?"

"He did research around a lot of things that people would find difficult to swallow," Haru pulled herself up into the attic and helped Hiromi push Muta over the top too.

"Why did you come all the way up here, marshmallow?" Toto asked Muta who frowned.

"He would have made a good cushion to land on if Haru and I fell," Hiromi offered.

"Oh, good point," Toto smiled at Muta's continuing anger.

"Shut it, bird brain," Muta threw at Toto and then turned to Hiromi, "And I don't need a second opinion from you, chicken wing."

"Guys, keep it together, Baron is counting on us," Haru shouted carefully the group before she began a coughing fit again, "Not to mention my life."

"Haru's right," Hiromi nodded and took a book and read the title, "The occult in history?"

"I told you, not all that great to swallow," Haru smiled slightly.

"What are we looking for, Chicky?" Muta asked and looked at a book that was already open.

"Anything about the Kingdom Between Lives or any spells. The best place to look would be some of my father's journals. Don't look too much in the books that are published unless they are spell books. I already know the published materials aren't all that ripe with information."

"Got it," Hiromi nodded and shoved away the book that she was skimming through. She grabbed a worn looking journal and looked over the hand writing of a man that she had never met, but one that she hoped would save her friend.

As the group shifted through the spell books and the journals Hiromi looked up at her friend who was spinning her finger in front of her as if trying to figure something out. Hiromi could swear that she saw a spark of something off the tip of the finger.

"Have you ever dabbled in this before?" Hiromi asked and as soon as Haru lifted her eyes from the pages, the spark disappeared.

"No, but I have my father's blood in me somewhere," Haru shrugged and looked like some of her color had come back, "That's got to help."

"Maybe that's why you never quite felt like you belonged in this world," Hiromi offered, "A piece of you was always magic- er, whatever this is."

"I doubt that I'm magic," Haru shook her head, "But I feel that I know my father a little better because of it. Reading all these books and his journals. I know him better than mom probably understood, because I know for a fact that she didn't get too involved in this kind of stuff."

"Your father is a part of you," Hiromi sighed and looked back at the book on her lap, "And this stuff is a part of him if all these journals are any help. Thus, you are part magic. I will accept no other answer."

"It makes sense," Toto said and looked over another book under his talons.

"You would agree with her," Muta muttered.

"How about this one?" Toto poked at the book and Haru crawled over to the book unsure of how much energy she really did have. She read over the passage in her father's handwriting and began to smile.

"I guess this is a good thing," Hiromi got up and went to her friend's side.

"Do you think you can draw that on the floor for me?" Haru pointed at the diagram and then back at Hiromi.

"You are the artist here, Haru," Hiromi shook her head.

"So pick up a medium this time," Haru smiled and looked toward a piece of chalk and then to Hiromi, "We got to try something. And I don't think my hands will support a piece of chalk as they are."

Her hands were still visible, but looked like tissue paper and opaque.

"How long do you have?" Toto asked.

"Without the spell probably until sunset," Haru looked at Hiromi who went straight to work on the diagram on the floor of the attic, "But if this spell works, one of two things happen… One: I cannot control my fading or abilities that this spell will open up and I fall apart. Or two: I find something that is worth living for once again and will continue my life as if it was never interrupted."

"Does it have to be something or some_one_?" Hiromi asked as she finished the last half of the diagram, "Because knowing you that's where your passion truly lies."

"We will figure it out soon enough, won't we?" she smiled shyly at her best friend, "Is it done?"

"Just about…" she made another swipe of chalk and handed the book back to Haru, "Finished. You need me as a support there."

"I got to stand on my own, or it won't work properly. Stand over there by Toto and Muta. Keep them quiet."

Hiromi nodded with a knowing nod.

"Here it goes," Haru took a deep breath and felt something enter her lungs like a few dust particles floating in the air. But these were different. These particles made her warm and she felt safe… and stronger. She closed her eyes and had a sense that she was surrounded by these all around her. She took another breath, opened her eyes and began to read the Latin like language on the page in front of her. Her voice took on a whisper, trance like tone and then it was as if she was singing the words as a wind kicked up around her. Her short hair blew around her face and began to grow until it was past the length of what it was only a year ago. It seemed like a dye dripped from the ends of her longer hair and onto her clothing, turning it a dark black. Her eyes and skin began to glow in healthy color and her voice grew in intensity. She read the last line and closed her eyes as she closed the book. Her hair stopped flying around her and everything seemed to stop in the attic. The sounds of life outside didn't even flow in from the open window, only the breaths of the four occupants of the room were heard.

"Haru?" Toto asked as he noticed that the winds in the room had died down, "Did it work?"

"I would hope so," Haru smiled and opened her eyes to look at her friends. She brought up a hand to show that it was solid and moved her digits to show them, "I haven't felt this good since after the Cat Kingdom."

"There's the Chicky we all love," Muta smiled at the girl that was now flexing her hands and arms.

"Haru!" Hiromi smiled and ran into her friend with a vicious bear hug.

"I'm going to be okay," Haru nodded with a smile and put the book off to the side once Hiromi let her go, "Thanks, Dad."

"So, what's the plan?" Toto landed on Hiromi's shoulder and leaned toward the newly energized Haru.

Haru focused her concentration and got her hand and arm to disappear and then become solid without much difficulty. She then waved a hand in front of her and made a small dagger appear from thin air. She smiled and then made it fade into ash, "I think I have a good grip on these new talents."

"So what does that mean?"

"He's the one always doing the rescuing and saving," Haru thought out loud and then looked at all three of her friends, "It's time that we switch roles on him. We all got some talents that can go far, and Louise isn't expecting us to come back without him. Least of all me. She probably thinks that I have died by now."

"Can't wait to see the look on her face when you show up," Hiromi grinned evilly.

"Are you thinking about a full surprise front attack?" Toto asked with a bit of surprise.

"She won't know what hit her," Haru shook her head, "And if I can get to her and get Baron out of there, we will have the upper hand and I should be able to take it from there. Call off her side of the attack."

"And if she doesn't give up?" Toto asked and began to stretch out his wings.

"We will reach that point when we reach it," Haru nodded her head.

"I think I am ready to release some pent up energy," Muta flexed his kitty muscles.

"You have energy under all that blubber?" Toto asked with a quirk of his eye.

"You want to test it, bird brain?"

"Keep your energy on the fight ahead and not with one another, boys," Haru scolded the boys much like Baron would have if he was there.

"How are we getting there?" Hiromi asked.

"The same way you did before," Haru looked out the window and toward the sky, "We're going to fly."

"You girls can't fly," Toto looked at the two of them and then back at Haru, "Unless that's a new talent of yours Haru."

"Oh not of mine," she shook her head.

"Then who?"

"Shows what you know," Muta chuckled at his surprised friend.

"It looks like you have a show to put on," Haru looked pointedly at Hiromi.

Hiromi gently placed Toto off of her shoulder and on the books nearby. She looked back at him with a smile, "Didn't you ever wonder how I beat you and Baron to the kingdom?"

"We did…" Toto said hesitantly.

Hiromi smiled and closed her eyes, "Let's just see if this magic works outside the sanctuary."

Haru smirked along with Muta, but paid close attention to her best friend. She knew that she could change into some kind of bird, but she didn't know what kind. Hiromi first started shrinking in size until she was head level to Toto. She opened her eyes slightly and Haru noticed that they resembled that more of a bird than a human. Hiromi's arms flexed out and was quickly covered with black feathers, which a white section. The wings covered her face as tail feathers appeared and covered her clothes. When she opened the wings again, the human Hiromi was gone and a beautiful magpie stood in her place carefully preening her feathers.

"Hiromi, you are so awesome," Haru smiled and knelt down to offer her hand to Hiromi who accepted and then hopped onto her shoulder.

"Thank you, I thought so too," Hiromi said happily from her shoulder perch.

"What do you think, Toto?" Haru asked as she looked over at the crow whose beak had dropped to the book he was sitting on.

"I think this is the first time that the big chicken was speechless," Muta said and popped Toto's beak back into place.

"H..how?" Toto asked and the two girls laughed with one another.

"The sanctuary has some unique magic," Hiromi smiled with her beak, "After you and Baron left me behind I said that I would do anything to get Haru back. And then I started shifting into a magpie. It was a little unnerving at first, but Muta helped me out."

"Muta?" Toto looked at the plump cat.

"Just told her that I couldn't stop her, didn't know if it was permanent or not, though," Muta shrugged and started to flex his claws in and out.

"Way to scare her," Haru looked at Muta a little disapprovingly and then moved Hiromi off her shoulder to the book next to Toto, "So are you ready for another flight, Hiromi?"

"Ever since I got my wings, I am always ready," she flapped her wings a little and Toto felt the heat rush to his cheeks and was thankful for the dark feathers that covered his blush.

"Then I think it's time to get going, don't you?" Haru smiled and swung her arms and shrunk herself to the size of Baron and hopped up to Hiromi and onto her back. The two girls looked over at Toto, "Do you think that you can carry Muta to the kingdom.

"Sure…" Toto nodded still in a bit of a shock and even missed a prime opportunity to insult Muta.

"Then let's get going," Haru smiled knowingly and she and Hiromi led the way out of the window. As they made it into the air Haru patted the side of Hiromi, "I think you made quite an impression on Toto, Hiromi."

"I think you may be right," Hiromi giggled, "Let's go get your guy."

"We going or you want to watch Chicken wing's tail feathers?" Muta asked up at Toto.

"Shut it, fatso," Toto made a sharp circle in the attic and grabbed Muta's paws as he held them up for Toto to grab on to.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter XII**:

"Your majesty!" a guard burst through the door to the personal sitting room for the monarch of the land. He stopped in his sprint as he saw the possible future king hung from a complex knot of shadows above him. The top of the crisp white suit that he had worn into the kingdom was in pieces and the remnants hung loosely around his midsection. His pants still in one piece, but splattered with what looked like blood, which only confused the guard further since he was known as creation and shouldn't even have blood. Not to mention he is in the kingdom of spirits where blood is even further unheard of. The new queen held a large belt-like item in her hand and she spun around as soon as he burst through the door.

"What is it?!" she growled and watched him carefully.

"The bureau that you sent back to Earth," he said unsure if he should continue.

"What about them?" she smiled quickly, "Did the girl die yet?"

Baron struggled to lift his head and looked at the guard for the answer, 'Not Haru… Please, not Haru.'

"No, we haven't received news about them," he shook his head and tired to think clearly, "She is here with the others. They are rushing the castle."

The queen froze in her movements and Baron made a small knowing smile against the pain.

"Stop them, you fool!" the queen shouted and the guard ran out of the room and toward the throne room where the fight was just beginning. She turned back to Baron and noticed the twinge of hope in his eyes. She hit him across the face again and his chuckle echoed a little after the immediate pain stopped.

"You said that they would be too weak without me," Baron coughed and turned back to her, "Louise, you were never more wrong."

She raised her hand again to hit him once more when she stopped and looked down in the determined green of his eyes. She thought for a moment and noticed another emotion in his eyes. It was love. He was right. Then she thought of a plan.

"If she wants to save you so badly, she should come," she smiled and Baron narrowed his eyes to try and figure out what she was planning, "There is only one thing that will break your soul, Baron. Once that happens you belong here. In my kingdom. And you told me exactly how to do it when we were back at the bureau…"

_"…but I believe that my soul would die every moment knowing that Haru was killed or trapped in that place and I did nothing to stop it or get her back."_

Baron thought back and knew, "No."

"Oh yes, maybe she should even reach my sitting room here. I think she and I have much to discuss."

"Don't you touch her!" he strained against the shadows holding him back.

"Now," she caught his jaw between her thumb and fore finger to look into his eyes, "There's the emotion that I am looking for."

* * *

Back in the throne room a crow and a magpie took turns dive bombing the spirits and guards around the room while a large white cat mowed down a good portion of the others. A young woman with long hair and a dark set of clothing would cut down the other guards with a blade made of a combination of dark shadow and slivers of light.

"Chicky, you better get going," Muta knocked against a guard and then looked back at Haru, "We got it in here. These guys aren't all that tough."

"That's because you don't have to worry about me anymore," Haru smiled and finished with her last guard until she took off for the next room over, "Hiromi-"

"I know keep the boys in line!" she yelled at her friend as she took out another guard, "Good luck."

Haru smiled and rushed through the doors. As soon as she looked on the room her smile fell and she gasped at the version of Baron ahead of her. He hung loose from the shadows that bound him.

"Baron," she whispered and ran toward him while keeping a good watch on the surroundings. She hadn't seen any hide or hair of the new Louise and wanted to keep it that way until she could get Baron loose.

Baron tried his best to pick his head up and did so with as little pain as possible. He looked at Haru a little confused. Just how much time had passed since he had been in Louise's power?

Haru stood right in front of him and held his face in between both of her hands and looked into his eyes, "Oh Baron…"

"You shouldn't have come back for me," he said slowly and looked over her appearance, "Your hair is longer."

"That happens when you deal with magic," she smiled and began to work on the shadows that held him. Light surrounded the bonds and they began to weaken, "And as far as coming back for you, you'd do the same for me. Every time, remember?"

"But why?" he suddenly fell from this bonds and straight into Haru.

She smiled with a soft giggle at their predicament. He held her shoulders while she had her arms wrapped around his chest. She looked right into his green eyes with a warm smile, "Because I love you, you silly man."

"I am not exactly a man," he whispered with a small smile while he leaned toward her.

"And I am no ordinary girl," she leaned toward him and gave him a soft kiss on his lips. She giggled a little and looked back at Baron who had a worried look on his face, "I have to get used to your whiskers."

"Ah, never had the problem before," he chuckled and grimaced at the sharp pain from the laughter.

Haru looked him over carefully and noticed that his top half was almost bare except for the chunks of clothing left over from the beating that he had received. Then she noticed the blotches of red that covered him as well.

"You're bleeding," she said calmly and covered one of the injuries on his chest with her hand. She then looked at his face to see him looking at her with some kind of admiration, "I didn't know that cat dolls bled."

"Neither did I," he looked at the remnants of his favorite suit and then cupped her face with his hands carefully, "She's going to try and kill you."

"Then let her try again," Haru said and put his arm around her shoulder, "Hasn't be successful yet."

"Then let's try another angle," Louise jumped from the shadows with the king's old sword to swipe at the couple.

Muta punched out another guard and the spirit separated into ash and then wisped off to the side where it tried to regain its shape. He turned to Hiromi and took a deep breath, "I hope Chicky is getting close to getting control here."

"She's on it," Hiromi said and dove on another spirit when another flew above and knocked her out of the air.

"Chicken wing!" Muta shouted up at the newest addition.

Toto finished with the spirit he was fighting and saw Hiromi fall from the sky. She hit the floor too far from Muta and a few spirits were running at her. Hiromi flapped her right wing and felt a strong pain shoot along the top. She looked up to see the spirits come at her and her eyes widened.

"Stop!" Toto landed in front of her and opened his wing span in front of her. The spirit's stopped before they reached Toto and circled the two of them.

"Why did they listen to you?" Hiromi asked as he backed up toward her.

"I noticed a good portion of them were animals," Toto smirked and kept an eye at the spirits circling them as he also checked her over, "I just made myself look bigger."

"Smart," she nodded as he checked her wing.

"Your wing may be broken."

"Great first time flying solo and I do this…" she cringed as he put a wing over hers.

"Don't worry, I got you," Toto said gently and it seemed to sooth her, "We will get out of here and you'll fly again."

Muta punched a few of the spirits away from them as he met with his friends, "I really hope that the other two are getting along better than we are."

Baron quickly pushed Haru to one side as he fell to the other, Louise's blade hit the stone ground between the two of them. She turned quickly to see Haru made a blade of her own. Haru swung her blade at Louise who brought her blade up to stop it from slicing her in two.

"You used us," Haru growled and pushed against Louise, "You lied to hurt the most important person in my life."

"He is the one that was made for me!" Louise pushed her off and stumbled to her feet.

"You were made for him," Haru corrected, "He is his own creation. His own person, his own soul. He doesn't need you to survive or make sense of his existence. But you need him to make sense of yours, don't you?"

"Silence girl!" she rushed at her and both women dueled with one another. Haru thought back to all the times that Baron would show her the lunges and strikes taught through his many books. They both fought hard and Baron looked around to find something that he could use. Louise brought the sword down hard and Haru had to dodge it quicker than what she was used to from earlier strikes, "He loved me first!"

"He never loved this Louise," Haru swung back at her, "He loved a woman that was never there, and I will not let you use that against him."

"I have done nothing but loved him!" suddenly Louise turned quickly with a ball of shadow that she threw at Haru. It threw her back into the wall and she slid down and lost the grip on her sword.

"This isn't love," Haru grunted and tried to get up again.

Louise put a foot against her chest and pushed her back down to the floor, "You've just had to ruin everything… if you had never come into the sanctuary. Goodbye Haru."

Haru waved her hand to the side trying to find the sword she had dropped, but Louise kept her in place. Haru looked Louise in the eyes and watched as her sword came closer to her neck. Suddenly Louise jerked above her and turned to see Baron with Haru's sword with a bit of Louise's dark blood on the blade.

Louise stepped away and ran a hand over her back. She looked down at her hand and saw the dark, almost black blood on her hand. She looked at Baron who was now helping Haru up. The two looked at her as her form slowly shifted and became the cat figurine that they both recognized from the photo.

"I always loved you. Real or not," she whispered and fell to her knees. She glared toward Haru and shook her head, "And now your love will not stay with you."

"What do you mean?" Haru frowned and stepped toward her. Before she could reach her, Louise's blood ran over her and slowly her body turned to ash, never to return. Haru looked at the pile of small ash, "What did she mean?"

Haru heard a deep thud and turned around to see Baron on the floor as if he fainted.

"Baron!" Haru ran to him and held his upper half to him, "Don't leave me. You've promised and you never promise something you can't keep."

There was no answer and no sound coming from him. It almost seemed like he was back in his wooden figurine state, but he was still warm, still seemed like flesh… and he was still in her arms.

"Come on, Baron… Please," Haru bent her head over Barons and carefully placed her lips to his muzzle and a tear dropped from her eye. She opened her eyes and watched him carefully. She was sure that any moment he was going to turn to ash, just like Louise had, "You're stronger than this… I love you."

She watched his face closely and saw that his eyes shifted beneath his eyelids and finally took a deep breath.

"Baron," she smiled with tears in her eyes.

He sat up and quickly wrapped her in his arms and hugged her tightly to him, "As you say, I always keep my promises."

"I thought you were going to fall to ash, too," she frowned and looked him in the eyes, "I thought…"

"Louise had a bond to me because we were made from the same hands," he held her own hands as he explained, "I fainted when she fell because that bond was severed. You were right. I am my own creation and I didn't need her to survive. But I think in a way she needed me to make sense."

"Now what?" Haru asked as they helped one another up.

"We get back to the sanctuary and hopefully back to-" he looked at her and noticed that she looked pale again and then her figure began to fade a little in front of him, "Haru?"

"I don't feel all that right…" she put a hand to her head and Baron caught her before she fell.

"She's right about one thing. If I don't get you out of here, you will cease to be," Baron held her close and carried her out to the throne room where the other three of the group sat together and the spirits floated around the throne room in confusion.

"We have no queen," the old advisor told Baron as he passed.

"Then take up where your king ended," Baron looked him in the eyes, "Just choose wiser."

Haru faded in and out of his arms and he walked to the others, "She came back for me."

"She isn't in control of the powers anymore, is she?" Hiromi asked a little afraid and Toto sat next to her to help with her wing.

"She came back," Baron repeated and looked at Hiromi before looking back at Haru, "She can do it again."

"She used a spell from one of her father's books," Toto explained, "She said she would be okay until one of two things happened. One: she cannot control the fading or abilities that this spell will open up and she falls apart…"

"Or?" Baron asked.

"Or two: she finds something that is worth living for once again and will continue her life as if it was never interrupted."

"Something worth living for once again," he whispered and smiled warmly. He leaned down and nuzzled her cheek as he purred quietly as if only she could hear, "I love you. Don't leave me either, Haru. I will be that something for you as you are for me. Stay with me forever."

She must have heard him since her cheeks flamed with a blush and her body became solid once again. She fluttered her eyes opened and looked up at Baron with a loving smile, "Forever is something I can't guarantee."

"Then I will make do with the rest of my existence," he smiled back and kissed her, careful this time not to tickle her cheeks or lips.

"So how are we getting home?" Muta asked and looked at the two birds.

Haru looked at her friend with what looked like a broken wing, "Hiromi! Your wing."

"It was worth it," Hiromi smiled a little unsure at her friend.

"Nothing is worth you getting hurt," Toto said from beside her.

Haru smirked knowingly at the crow and put a hand over Hiromi's wing. Suddenly Hiromi gasped and flapped her injured wing. She smiled and looked at her friend, "How?"

"Wanted to see if I still had some magic in me," she wiggled her fingers at Hiromi with a laugh.

"Well, if that's settled," Hiromi stood up and flapped her wings to make sure that she could still fly without a problem, "You ready to go home?"

"As ready as ever," Baron said as he gripped Haru's hand in his.

"You want to ride together?" Hiromi asked the pair, "I don't mind."

"Thank you, Hiromi," Baron helped Haru onto her friend's back and then turned to see Toto ready to pick up Muta. He hopped on behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Let's go home."


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**:

A few days later, Baron sat at his desk and worked on the last of the paper work of the last adventure. He sighed and tried to stretch out his back from the aches that he felt. He growled in the back of his throat when he found that he could not reach a specific ache.

"You're working too hard again," a soft voice whispered into his ear as a hand massaged the section in his back he couldn't reach.

"I didn't even hear you come in," he purred and turned his chair to face her, "How was your mother, love?"

Haru giggled, "I love it when you call me that."

He chuckled and stood up to embrace her and kissed her on her brow, "So?"

"She did well at the convention. Brought home a bonus too," Haru smiled and walked with him toward one of his high backed chairs. He sat down and she sat comfortably on the arm of it, "She's sleeping though. It took a lot out of her."

"How did she take your hair?" he asked and brushed a gloved hand through her longer strands.

"I told her I was trying extensions until it grew back out again."

"Do you know when you will be able to bring her here?" Baron asked and rubbed her hands, "You will have the power to shrink her yourself if you keep up in your studies with your father's books."

"I know I will, but I want her to regain her strength before I jump the whole boyfriend issue on her," Haru giggled again, "Not to mention he's a figurine that comes to life and puts his nose in other people's problems."

"Hm," he nodded, "But remember, I want to meet her soon. I want to ask for your hand from her first. It is only right."

"Always the gentleman," Haru kissed his cheek.

"Do you two always have to have to do the mushy stuff in here?" Muta groaned and fell on the couch.

"I do live here, Muta," Baron reminded him.

"Don't worry, Baron, he just doesn't understand the whole concept of love," Hiromi strolled into the bureau and to the back of the couch and looked at Muta, "At least not yet. I saw you eyeing that pretty cream colored cat across the street today…"

Muta looked away from her and blushed.

"Aw, the kitty has a crush," Toto teased as he came through the window above them all. He looked down where Hiromi just sat down her bag and then quickly transformed into her magpie self and flew up to perch next to Toto. He chuckled and pecked her on the beak, "How did you do on the urban maze to get here?"

"I did just fine," Hiromi smiled a little proud, "Muta kept up a good pace today."

As the group began to fall back into their regular routines and new ones with the girls now being regular visitors. Haru and Baron shared duties in making another cake for Muta and some mulberries for Hiromi and Toto while Muta told them about any weird activity at the Crossroads. Hiromi looked down at Haru and tilted her head a little.

"What's wrong?" Toto asked her.

"I just wonder how he brought her back with just words," Hiromi shrugged.

"He gave her something to live for by pleading himself to her," Toto smiled, "And he will stand by it until he does turn to ash and they both can meet on the other side."

"That's good," Hiromi nodded, "Because I didn't want to make him firewood for hurting my best friend."

Toto laughed a little at the visual that came to mind.

"So, another kingdom saved," Haru sighed after the cake was done and Baron settled back into his chair. Haru slid in next to him and circled her arms around his neck, "Is there anything that you can't do?"

"Love you any less?" he asked and surrounded her with his arms around her waist and kissed her sweetly on her lips. As the separated they heard a noise outside the bureau and noticed that it had begun to rain.

Hiromi frowned and looked at Toto, "Well, so much for our flight tonight."

Muta closed the doors to the bureau while Toto closed the windows. The rain began to come down a little harder as the five of them watched it pummel the ground.

Haru giggled a little and made Baron look at her, "Time to cash in that rain check?"

"That sounds like a great idea," he nodded and she got off his lap so he could lead her to the space behind the couch.

Music began to play with a snap of Baron's fingers and he took Haru's hand to lead her in a waltz. She smiled and followed him effortlessly as Muta kept stuffing his face and the two birds looked on with laughter in their eyes.

Toto looked at Hiromi quickly and then back at their best friends, "I am sorry that I will not be able to dance with you like that."

"We dance in the sky," Hiromi rubbed her feathered head against his, "It's so much better."

As the dancers pass for another turn around the room, they pass in front of a new large painting where a portrait once occupied. There in the painting another couple danced in one another's arms in a grand ballroom. The gentleman with the head and tail of an orange cat and the young woman wore a golden gown that seemed to swirl with the silent music.


End file.
